MINSK, January 28. /TASS/. The NATO Air Force is practicing sorties with cruise missiles, including with nuclear warheads, near the borders of the Russia-Belarus Union State, State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council Alexander Volfovich said on Friday.

"The head of state drew attention to intensified flights by US strategic bombers near the borders of the Union State," the BelTA news agency quoted Volfovich as saying.

"In our assessments, this means that the NATO Air Force is practicing employing cruise missiles, including those with nuclear warheads," he said.

Not a single area has remained in international and regional security where there is no tension, Volfovich said, emphasizing that a need was being substantiated under the guise of mythical "threats from the East" for constant military build-up on neighboring territories.

About 30,000 troops have been deployed to areas in Poland and the Baltic states bordering on Belarus. Also, over 10,000 NATO troops are present on the territory of these states, the Belarusian security chief said. "These actions by our neighbors cause legitimate questions about the compliance with the 2011 Vienna document and bilateral agreements on additional confidence-building and security measures," Volfovich said.

"We have to state that a breach of international norms and elementary rules of good neighborly relations by neighboring countries is already turning into an alarming trend," the Belarusian security chief stressed.

In this situation, Belarus is acting adequately to the latest developments. In particular, Belarus and Russia are holding a surprise combat readiness inspection of the Union State’s response forces as part of strategic deterrence measures, he stressed.