MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. US General Raymond Thomas’s claims that Russia is one of the main threats to the United States are based on Cold War stereotypes, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov has said.

"The narrow-mindedness of some of the Pentagon’s generals and their obsession with Cold War stereotypes, just as their failure to see the real threats to security should not surprise anyone. We are often asked what makes the officers of Russian Special Operations Forces different from their US counterparts. We invariably point out that the main qualities of Russian officers are their intellect and resoluteness," Konashenkov said in a news release.

General Thomas’s statement, he remarked, made it quite clear that "the Pentagon has very different requirements for its SOF personnel."

"This is probably the reason why they try to resort to hawkish anti-Russian rhetoric reminiscent of Cold War traditions as a compensation," Konashenkov said.

The chief of the US Special Operations Command General Raymond Thomas earlier said the Pentagon regarded Russia as a "strategic competitor of the US" and one of the five main threats. He claimed that "strategic rivalry" between Moscow and Washington "is most pronounced in the post-Soviet space," where Russia, "has shown itself as willing to act aggressively to limit US and Western institutions."

Thomas also stated that Russia was "particularly adept at leveraging unconventional approaches to advancing its interests" and the "SOF often present a very natural unconventional response.".