SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, March 6. /TASS/. Russia is not planning an attack on anyone, including NATO, nor has it ever harbored such designs, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival.
"Russia does not have plans for an attack, for direct or indirect aggression, or for unleashing conflicts with anyone: NATO, Washington, Ukraine or whoever. Nor has it ever harbored such designs. In contrast to this, if you read the doctrinal documents of NATO, which includes Washington and London - [the whole Brussels-headquartered alliance] - in these documents the collective West points to Russia as a direct threat."
Zakharova stressed that this was clear evidence of an aggressive attitude - the basis of their perception of Russia.
"The NATO people should realize that any threat to our country's security from them will not be left unretaliated," she warned and drew attention to the fact that the next large-scale exercise Nordic Response, which began the other day in Norway, Sweden and Finland, would involve 20,000.
"All these actions against our country are of an aggressive, provocative nature. Certainly, we see how the escalation spiral is going up," Zakharova noted.