MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. Major military exercises near Russian borders pose a threat to Russia and cause concerns, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the VTB Capital "Russia Calling!" investment forum Tuesday.
"The Russian Federation is concerned to an extent over major military exercises carried out near its borders, including in the Black Sea just recently, when strategic bombers were flying just 20 kilometers away from our border, armed with precision weapons and potentially even nuclear weapons. All this poses a threat to us," Putin said.
Answering a question whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is possible, the president noted that this threat was talked about back in early this year, when Russia carried out its military exercises.
"But, as we see, it didn’t happen," he said. "It is not about moving troops in or not, not about waging a war or not. It is about establishing relations on creation of a more fair, sustainable development and consideration of security interests of all actors of the international activity."
According to Putin, "nobody will experience any threats," if everybody will honestly aspire for that. Meanwhile, he noted the challenges that the people of Donbass have to face.
"As for threats, the people living in the two yet unrecognized republics - LPR and DPR [Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics - TASS], they also face constant threats during relocation of forces near their territories," Putin said.