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Russia will hold parachuting drills near the Ukrainian border amid tensions between the two countries. Photo/Illustration
Some 1,200 troops and more than 250 vehicles and aircraft will be involved in the drills which will be divided between a training ground in Crimea – which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 – and the nearby province of Krasnodar.
Interfax quoted the ministry as saying that Russian troops would simulate seizing an area as part of an offensive operation. Reuters, Thursday (12/23/2021).
This report comes after Ukrainian television stations previously reported that the country’s military had carried out war games involving Javelin . anti-tank missile system artificial United States of America (USA) in areas of conflict with separatists in eastern Ukraine. The war games come amid rising tensions with Russia.
Also read: Heats Up, Ukraine Holds War Games Near Separatist Territories
Ukraine, which is seeking to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has since 2018 received a series of shipments of US-origin Javelin munitions and missiles, drawing criticism from Moscow.
Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops at outposts near Ukraine. Kiev accuses Moscow of amassing tens of thousands of troops in preparation for a possible attack, raising fears that the simmering conflict in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region could erupt into open war between the two neighbours.
Russia, however, denies planning any attacks but accuses Ukraine and the US of destabilizing acts. Russia has also demanded that its southern neighbor not be accepted into NATO and that no offensive weapons be deployed there or in other neighboring countries.
Also read: Putin: On Ukraine, Russia has no room to back down
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