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Russian Defense Minister leads massive military exercise in Crimea

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia

Defense Minister Russia, Sergei Shoigu, led a massive military exercise at Crimea on Thursday (22/4), amid heightened tensions on the border with Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that in this exercise, Shoigu flew a helicopter over the soldiers and defense equipment that were deployed in Crimea.

From the air, Shoigu monitors the readiness of his navy and ground forces in the face of any emergency situation.

News agency Interfax reported that this military exercise involved more than 10 thousand soldiers and 40 warships.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin claimed to have heard about the challenge of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to meet in Crimea.

“If he thinks it’s important, he can do it himself. There’s nothing I can say about that at this point,” Putin was quoted as saying Reuters.

In recent weeks, the situation has escalated between the Ukrainian army and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

[Gambas:Video CNN]

Kiev and Moscow blame each other for tensions on the border between the two countries, especially since the clashes in Donbass resumed earlier this year.

Since then, Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border, which is said to be far more than when the Crimea annexation conflict occurred in 2014.

Russia argued that the troops were sent to strengthen their defenses because the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was also adding troops in the region near the borders of their country.

To increase readiness, Zelenskiy also signed a law that would allow the deployment of reservists to join the active military.

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