OSLO. April 5 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that Russia will revise its military reform plans if NATO's infrastructure approaches the country's borders.
"Four NATO airplanes presently on a patrol mission over the Baltic nations do not change the situation dramatically. But if the alliance continues to build its infrastructure near our border, Russia will likely have to revise its military reform plans which are being implemented now," Ivanov told journalists in Oslo on Sunday.
"NATO's infrastructure coming closer to the Russian borders cannot be explained by international terrorism threats. This is ridiculous," the defense minister said.
"Russia's army group stationed in the northwestern area and the Kaliningrad region has been downsized by more than 40% over the past few years," he added.
Russia's attitude to this wave of NATO's enlargement is "calmly negative."
"To protect its airspace is a sovereign right of any state. However, it is necessary to take into consideration that the territory of the Baltic nations is not large, airplanes fly at a high speed and the border with Russia is winding. The possibility of NATO airplanes violating Russia's airspace is growing. I hope this will not happen," the defense minister said.