THE HAGUE, January 21. /TASS/. Acting Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Wednesday that the Royal Netherlands Navy warships "for the second time in a short period" escorted Russian vessels in the waters of the North Sea.
According to him, The Hague proceeds from the fact that Russian vessels allegedly "can be used to collect intelligence information and map the maritime infrastructure." However, no proof was provided for such estimates.
"We remain vigilant and ready to respond," Brekelmans wrote on his X social network account.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has repeatedly stated that EU and NATO countries are deliberately inventing and fueling the myth of the "Russian threat" to distract their own people from economic problems.
She emphasized that the EU's economic problems have reached catastrophic proportions, primarily due to the impact of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West.