NATO's four-month-long military exercises near Russia's borders, known as Steadfast Defender, are proof the alliance is preparing for a potential conflict with Russia, a spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, Reuters reported.

The spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, dismissed accusations by NATO this week that Russia is engaged in hybrid attacks on its member states, saying this was misleading "misinformation" aimed at distracting people from the alliance's activities.

It was NATO that had waged a hybrid war with Russia by supporting Ukraine with arms, intelligence, and finances, she said in a statement.

"Right now, NATO's largest exercise since the Cold War, Steadfast Defender, is taking place near Russia's borders. According to their scenario, the coalition's actions against Russia are being practiced using all the instruments, including hybrid and conventional weapons," she said in a statement.

"We have to admit that NATO is seriously preparing for a 'potential conflict' with us."

Relations between Russia and the West have been at their most hostile in decades following the start of Russia's military conflict in Ukraine in 2022.