MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. The United States has created logistics stocks in Europe that will suffice to additionally deploy up to 300,000 troops, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV Channel on Friday.

"The US is practicing the trans-Atlantic re-deployment of troops, normally, at the brigade level, to Europe. It is setting up stocks of armaments, military and special hardware, ammunition, food and inventory at various places," the Russian defense official said.

"Therefore, a logistics reserve has been created as of today, which is sufficient to deploy an additional grouping of up to 300,000 men very promptly," the deputy defense minister said.

Chief of Russia’s General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov told an annual briefing for foreign military attaches in late December that NATO was continuing to expand its military presence in Eastern Europe.

According to the chief of Russia’s General Staff, the structure and the combat capabilities of the US Army grouping in Europe are expanding through the deployment of ground forces and marine infantry in Europe on a rotating basis and also through the creation of additional inventory stocks on the territory of European states.