Russia says the establishment of six NATO hubs along the alliance's eastern flank will "feed the artificially created climate of confrontation" in relations with Moscow.
Russia's envoy to NATO, Aleksandr Grushko, said in Brussels on September 4 that the opening this month of the small NATO centers reaffirms that "the alliance's military machinery has been retooled to the task of warding off a mythical threat from the East."
The alliance says the new NATO Force Integration Units (NFIU) were established in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania to help on the ground with exercises and planning activities.
NATO has been stepping up its role in Eastern Europe to deter potential aggressors and reassure its allies in light of the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia has been condemned for annexing Crimea and backing pro-Moscow separatists in the Donbas region.