The day before it became known about the delivery of a large batch of American military equipment and special-purpose equipment by the US Navy ship «Liberty Pride» to the Greek port of Alexandropulis. The corresponding cargo, the volumes of which were not disclosed, will soon be transferred to the territory of Bulgaria and Romania, where large-scale military exercises of the forces of the North Atlantic Alliance will take place. The prospect of such exercises has already raised the Kremlin’s concerns.
For several days, 200 American military specialists were sent to Greece, whose task is to ensure the unhindered unloading of this equipment and ensure its subsequent deployment at the Bulgarian Novo Selo training ground and the Romanian Cinku complex. In this regard, one of the Greek news portals literally stated the following: «Soon, the port of Alexandropoulis will be literally filled with helicopters, tanks, guns and multi-purpose missiles».
It`s talking about the large-scale exercises Atlantic Resolve and Defender Europe planned by NATO. The exact date of the order of the corresponding maneuvers was not disclosed. However, in some circles of the Alliance, it is assumed that some of the arriving units will remain in the region for 9 to 12 months.
This information produced the effect of a «bombshell» in Russia. In a number of media outlets controlled by the Kremlin, information appeared about NATO’s intention to once again demonstrate its strength in close proximity to the Russian Federation. In addition, individual publications in the Russian Federation did not rule out the possibility of bringing units of the Western military bloc into Moldova in general and Transnistria in particular.
«Such fears have no basis», Greek political commentator Yannis Papadonis told EURO-ATLANTIC URRAINE. – Greece, Bulgaria and Romania are today an integral part of NATO. In the territories of these countries, the Alliance has the right to conduct any activities, from regional military exercises to large-scale rotations of troops». On the other hand, according to the analyst, the very fact of a new activation of the Blok’s forces is indeed a kind of challenge for Moscow. «We simply reserve the right to strengthen our own combat power», – he noted, in particular.
It is also assumed that in the foreseeable future, part of the military equipment that arrived at Liberty Pride will be delivered to Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Estonia by the middle of this year.
