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Provocative Baltops drills lead to militarization of Baltic Sea — Russian embassy in US

NATO's provocative Baltops international drills will involve about 4,000 servicemen and 60 aircraft from 16 NATO member nations

WASHINGTON, May 25. /TASS/. NATO’s provocative Baltops international drills add to the tensions in the region and entail militarization of the Baltic Sea, the Russian embassy in the United States said on Tuesday.

"Provocative maneuvers of BALTOPS close to the Russian border raise tensions and risks of unintentional incidents, lead to the militarization of Baltic. These actions have nothing in common with the claims of the US Navy," it wrote on its Twitter account.

The US Sixth Fleet said earlier the Baltops exercises will be held on June 6-18. The drills will involve about 4,000 servicemen and 60 aircraft from 16 NATO member nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, as well as Finland and Sweden.

The Baltops annual drills were held for the first time in 1972.

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