NATO’s increased military activity globally threatens to further upset the balance of powers and escalate simmering conflicts, Sputnik news agency quoted Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces General Valery Gerasimov as saying on Tuesday.

"Concern is growing about NATO’s military policy and its unfriendly attitude toward Russia," Gerasimov said at a briefing for foreign military attaches in Moscow.

"The alliance is continuing to expand its military presence, stepping up military activities along Russian borders," he told military envoys, pointing to the US-led initiative to create an anti-missile shield and the Pentagon’s research into hyper-sonic weapons.

"The deployment of a global anti-missile defense shield and the development of new weapons, including hypersonic ones, is tipping the existing strategic balance," Gerasimov warned.

Sources: MENA