Media: NATO and Russian military have established a direct line of communication – BBC

NATO for the first time since the end of the “cold war” to establish a direct line of communication with the Russian military leadership, reports the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , with reference to the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance.

“NATO and the Russian military command support channel. Supreme Commander of NATO forces in Europe and chairman of the NATO Military Committee have access to talks with their Russian counterparts “, – informed the headquarters of NATO. They added that the line is always open and is used on a regular basis.

The NATO reported the date of activation of the channel, but noted that the Russian side were provided contact numbers. This operation is carried out in secrecy, the newspaper said.

It is noted that the initiative to create a “hot line” in December 2014 made the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. According to the publication, the Minister proposed the establishment of such a link because of the tensions related to the crisis in Ukraine in case of emergencies.