Russia argues the Marine Corps' beefed-up presence in Norway is an attack

Source: Marine Corps Times

Russia just can’t let it go that Norway recently decided to invite several hundred more Marines to the region for cold-weather training.

Last week, the Russian Embassy in Norway warned of consequences and on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed the Corps’ presence in the Arctic country may, in fact, be an attack.

Norway recently agreed to boost the number of Marines in the country from 330 to 700 and opened a second training area closer to the Russian border in the Troms region.

Russia argues Oslo’s decision is in violation of agreements the Scandinavian country made when it joined NATO in 1949. Norway agreed not to base permanent foreign forces in the country unless threatened or attacked.
“But what attack is it possible to talk about today? As is known, top-level Norwegian officials have repeatedly noted that Russia presents no threat,” Zakharova said. “Considering the fact that US Marines are deployed in Norway, perhaps it is the United States that has attacked this country?”

Read more: https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/06/18/russia-argues-the-corps-beefed-up-presence-in-norway-is-an-attack/