The presence of Russian military forces in Belarus has become the most significant since the Cold War, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.
"In recent days, we have seen a significant redeployment of Russian military forces to Belarus. This is the largest Russian presence there since the Cold War," Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels.
The NATO Secretary General noted that Belarus has received modern weapons. In particular he mentioned Su-35 airplanes, S-400 and Iskander missile systems.
Speaking about the number of Russian forces near Ukraine, he said that according to his data, it "considerably exceeded 100,000 people.
Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO called on Russia to de-escalate the situation around Ukraine. He also once again warned of "serious consequences" for Russia in case of "further aggression against Ukraine.
