Russia has condemned the Western alliance for ramping up its naval presence in the so-called 'NATO lake' after alleged sabotage by Moscow-linked vessels.

In June, September and October, then-candidate Donald Trump waved away concerns about how he would manage Russia’s war in Ukraine, the largest ground conflict in Europe since World War II. In June, September and October, he said he could end it before formally taking office.

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The response comes after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko criticized NATO's 2008 Bucharest Summit declaration, calling it "catastrophic for European security."

The Russian Embassy in London said that Russia posed no threat to undersea cables in Britain and other NATO countries, after UK defence minister John Healey accused Moscow of "malign activity" at sea.

The drones will be used to monitor the cables and prevent sabotage.

THE WORD “HUBRIS” HAS COME UP frequently since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine. The most straightforward and obvious application is to the architects of the unprovoked, unjust, and so far spectacularly unsuccessful aggression that has failed to subjugate Ukraine at the cost of some 600,

Ukraine considers NATO to be the most robust deterrent to Russia, but Trump and some top European leaders have poured cold water on the idea of a NATO-led peacekeeping presence in Ukraine.

A senior Russian official has said that Moscow will counter any moves by Western military alliance NATO to dominate the Baltic Sea. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the Russian television channel Rossiya-24 on Friday that the Western alliance's decision to increase patrols around the Baltic was further proof of NATO's "desire to turn the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sees drones as the great equalizer and a way for Ukraine to continue to grind down Russia’s military.