300,000 NATO troops have received readiness orders over growing fears of a military confrontation with Russia.
Around 15 divisions on front line states are now on a status of ‘high alert’ as tensions escalate between opposing sides.
NATO General Secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, has confirmed that the executive order hopes to achieve a faster reaction, should conflict break out.
The heightened state of alert is in direct response to Russia’s own display of military might in recent times, and particularly over its intervention in war-torn Syria.
Russia has provided a large amount of weaponry and specialized equipment to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has used it to quell rebel forces in Aleppo and elsewhere.
A large number of Russian citizens actually believe that their country’s intervention in Syria could easily lead to World War III.
The military buildup in the region has also arisen due to grave concerns among western strategists that Russian military might may overrun NATO forces in the area in a matter of hours, should an armed confrontation start.
NATO analysts also fear that Russia may attempt the annexation of Baltic states such as Lithuania or Latvia, just like it did in Crimea two years ago. Such move could have grave repercussions indeed for the geo-political stability in Europe.