Russia Deploys More Troops, Units Near NATO Military Borders

Military says forces will ensure the defense of Russia from West

Russia’s Western Military District has announced the deployment of more troops as well as motorized units into their western region, saying they are meant to “perform tasks on ensuring the defense of the Russian Federation in the Western Strategic direction.”

This puts more Russian forces in the area near the NATO frontier, after years of US and NATO troops being deployed in the Baltic and in other areas bordering Russia. This is a continuation of that buildup, with an eye toward further tit-for-tat challenges.

The timing is curious, as this comes just as 9,500 US forces were removed from Germany. Though these troops are not specifically on the border, historically US-German ties were about confronting Russia in eastern Europe.

Both sides seem to believe they need to react to ensure a balance in the region, and while a Russia-NATO war would be unbelievably catastrophic, it is probably going to continue driving deployments in the region to retain deterrence.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.