Russia is planning to boost military spending by 27%, according to government documents seen by the Reuters news agency, amid rumours of further mobilisation and warnings of increased 'hybrid' attacks in Europe.
Vladimir Putin proposes to spend 17.1 trillion roubles (£154billion) on defence in 2027, a rise of more than a quarter on the 13.5 trillion roubles (£122billion) originally budgeted. The document states that defence spending in the next three years will total 50 trillion roubles (£450billion).
UK and NATO warnings
Putin's commitment to war comes after UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting labelled Russia the biggest threat to the country's security.
'We've got war in our continent. We've got a Russian president who has imperialist ambitions, who is constantly testing Britain's defences, Nato defences and testing the strength of our alliances,' he said last weekend. 'And so, the sobering reality is that we face a greater risk of war than we've done at any point in my lifetime.'
Speaking today, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Russia is 'testing us across Europe', describing 'airspace violations, arson, sabotage, and of course, the Russian hybrid attack at Leipzig airport in August'.
'But while we see no imminent military attack against Nato, we must be prepared for Russia's campaign of hostile actions against allies to continue,' he added. 'We must all remain vigilant.'
Nuclear warning over Kaliningrad
Russia has warned Nato it would be ready to resort to nuclear weapons if the Western alliance moved to cut off its Kaliningrad exclave bordering the Baltic Sea.
In a document seen by Reuters, Moscow accused the alliance of a 'dangerous and reckless course' that entailed 'high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict'. The document said this included the possibility of 'Russian strikes against decision-making centers in the alliance's member states right from the outset'.
'Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country,' the diplomatic note said.
The warning highlighted Moscow's urgent concern at what it has presented as a growing Nato threat to Kaliningrad, a heavily militarised Russian territory that is wedged between Poland and Lithuania and is slightly bigger than the US state of Connecticut.
Reactions and military posture
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cited statements by dignitaries from Nato states which she said demonstrated 'Russophobia' and a readiness to wage war with Moscow. These figures, Zakharova wrote, 'need to be brought back down to earth. We hope that our warnings will be heard by those to whom they are addressed.'
'If Europe attacks Russia, it will be a completely different sort of war – a very short war,' she added.
Nato spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed on Wednesday that Russia had sent a written message to the US-led military alliance. 'We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,' she said in a statement. Hart insisted that Nato is not targeting Kaliningrad and had sent a reply, 'noting that Nato is a defensive alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia'.
Kaliningrad is surrounded by Nato members Poland and Lithuania. It is home to Russia's main Baltic navy base and other military assets. Nuclear-capable Iskander missiles are deployed there. Western military officers have said that key military installations in Kaliningrad would be a likely first target should Russia ever launch an attack on any Nato ally.
Nato allies have conducted a series of military exercises in the Baltic Sea region in recent months. More are planned in October. It launched Operation Baltic Sentry there last year to protect communication cables and pipelines.
