Norway's Boosting Military Readiness Is Unprecedented, Moscow Says

Moscow considers the decision to increase the readiness of the Norwegian armed forces as an unprecedented step, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

"It would not concern us, but there is an important detail — such an unprecedented step is justified, as it is not difficult to guess, by the actions of Russia, which 'led to the most serious military-political situation in Europe.' No, it were not our actions that led to this, it were your actions. You are the collective West… It was you who destabilized the situation on the European continent," Zakharova told a briefing, commenting on Oslo's actions, Sputnik reported.

The spokeswoman noted that the Russian side will respond to any unfriendly actions of the Norwegian side.

"The escalation of the threat from the East, the denigration of our country by attributing to it things that it does not do, is once again being used by the Norwegian authorities to disguise their own aspirations regarding military preparations… We consider this development of events near the Russian borders as Oslo's conscious adherence to a destructive course to escalate tensions in the Euro-Arctic region… Russia is always open to an honest and mutually respectful dialogue, but any unfriendly actions will be followed by a timely and adequate response," Zakharova said.

The Norwegian government decided to strengthen the combat readiness of the kingdom's armed forces starting November 1 amid the conflict in Ukraine, head of the Norwegian armed forces Eirik Kristoffersen said on Monday.