That’s what the man says: Kremlin backs top general’s assessment that NATO is drilling for large-scale war

The Kremlin has said that it trusts the opinion of a senior Russian general, who has said that NATO's intensified drills this year are an indication that the military bloc is preparing for a major conflict.

Valery Gerasimov, the chair of the Russian General Staff, shared the wary view that the Russian military have about NATO's maneuvers on Tuesday as he gave a year-end briefing to foreign military attaches in Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the opinion was based on analyses of data collected by the Russian military and should not be dismissed.

"In this case the professional opinion may be the only correct one, so the presidential administration is in no position to put forward its own military assessment," he said.

Gerasimov said the increased number and scale of military exercises conducted by NATO members this year indicates that the alliance "is purposefully training its troops to be engaged in a major military conflict."

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