MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The military threat from NATO is steadily growing as, in addition to increasing its presence in the Arctic and the Baltic Sea area, NATO also seeks to expand its capabilities in the Black Sea and gain access to the Caspian region, Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), warned.

"The military threat from NATO is steadily growing. The alliance is gaining a foothold on the borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, stepping up efforts to increase its presence in the Arctic and the Baltic Sea area, seeking to expand its combat, intelligence, and logistics capabilities in the Black Sea, and looking for ways to gain access to the Caspian Sea region," the FSB chief explained at the 20th meeting of the heads of security and intelligence agencies of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, currently convening in Moscow.

According to him, a US lab network is reportedly working to implement a program to create biological weapons of selective action, while citing the need to combat some "biological threats" as an excuse. Meanwhile, some NATO countries "are actively adding fuel to the fire by flooding opposing sides in CIS countries with weapons," Bortnikov added.