NATO Drills Near Russian Border Increase Risks of Conflict

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the upcoming NATO exercises near the Russian border increase the risks of military incidents.

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The military exercises of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are scheduled to begin on Friday in Finland near the Russian-Finnish border.

"The alliance continues the practical military development of a once neutral state, an authoritative participant in discussions on strengthening stability and security," Zakharova said, adding that Russia is keeping a close watch on the Collective West's aggressive actions.

Russia is prepared to take "all necessary political and military-technical measures" to counter any threats to its national defense capabilities, the Russian diplomat stressed.

On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that its anti-aircraft defenses shot down eight Ukrainian drones over four Russian regions. 

While three drones were shot down over the Kursk region, two devices were destroyed over the Belgorod region. Both regions are on the border with Ukraine.

Two more aircraft were destroyed over the territory of the Voronezh region and a drone was shot down over the Smolensk region. These Russian federated entities are located more than 100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

"There were casualties as a result of the attack," Smolensk Governor Vasily Anokhin said, adding that the attacks had caused fires at civilian energy and fuel facilities.