MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. The militarization of Europe is openly directed against Russia, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Joint Staff Chief Colonel General Andrey Serdyukov said.

"The militarization of Europe is continuing at an accelerated pace, openly aimed at preparing for a military confrontation with Russia, for which the presence of coalition forces in the immediate vicinity of the CSTO countries is being actively increased, and the territories are being rapidly fortified, and the relevant infrastructure is being improved," he told reporters.

According to him, "the most difficult situation is developing today" in the Eastern European region.

The CSTO defense official pointed out that "the decisive factor in maintaining regional instability is the Western actions aimed at prolonging the armed conflict in Ukraine."

Serdyukov added that in general, "2025 was marked by growing geopolitical tensions and an escalation of the situation in the collective security regions due to the immediate proximity of instability zones to the borders of CSTO member states." "At the same time, the unfriendly actions of a number of Western countries and their refusal to cooperate with the countries of the world majority are leading to a negative transformation of the entire international security architecture," the CSTO defense official warned.