WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy dock landing ship Gunston Hall left port on Wednesday to mark the first movement for the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War, officials said. The drills will rehearse NATO's execution of its regional plans, the first defence plans the alliance has drawn up in decades, detailing how it would respond to a Russian attack. But its top strategic document identifies Russia as the most significant and direct threat to NATO members' security. The exercise comes at an important moment after Russia's invasion of Ukraine started the deadliest war on European soil in more than 70 years. RUSSIAN RESPONSEThe scale of NATO's Steadfast Defender 2024 exercises mark an "irrevocable return" of the alliance to Cold War schemes, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the state RIA news agency in remarks published on Sunday.

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Persons: Matthias Eichenlaub, Alexander Grushko, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Navy, Gunston Hall, NATO, Twitter Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Atlantic, Europe, Norfolk