NATO begins drills near Russia border

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has commenced war games near Russia’s border as tensions rise between the West and Moscow over Ukraine.

According to reports on Monday, almost 5,000 troops and 800 military vehicles from 10 different countries, including Canada, Britain and the United States have taken part in the Sabre Strike exercises near Latvia’s capital Riga.

The US has reportedly deployed two nuclear-capable B2 stealth bombers to a British air base to join the drills later.

The NATO member states will end the military exercises on June 20.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the Western military bloc’s expansion towards his country’s border, labeling such actions as “counterproductive.”

Russia’s first deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov denounced the NATO military buildup near the country’s border as a sign of the alliance’s hostility towards Moscow.

The Russian official also noted that Moscow would react and undertake “all necessary…measures” to safeguard its security.

On May 6, NATO launched military drills in Estonia with a record-breaking number of 6,000 troops from a number of allied countries, including the US, the UK, Latvia and Lithuania.

Tensions between Russia and the West heightened after Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea integrated into the Russian Federation following a referendum in March.

The move sparked angry reactions from the United States and the European Union, both imposing punitive measures against a number of Russian officials and authorities in Crimea.