Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), is in many ways an uncomfortable and ephemeral spy chief, but an enthusiastic information warrior. In recent talks with the Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, he accused Nato of threatening Moscow and Minsk by increasing the size and activity of its forces on the border – or rather, certain nations within the alliance:
We feel and see that European countries, especially France, Britain and Germany, are increasing the level of escalation around the Ukrainian conflict, so we need to act pre-emptively. We are ready for this.
Playing up a supposed ‘threat’ to Belarus is a way of threatening Poland and the Baltic States
It is certainly true that, concerned about the potential threat from Russia, Nato has stepped up its presence and the tempo of its exercises in north-eastern Europe. June’s BALTOPS 25 exercise may be the largest such training exercise yet, while next month’s HEDGEHOG 25 will specifically wargame the defence of Estonia.
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