Russia Expands Military Exercises to 80,000 Troops
Local Editor
Russia said it had doubled the number of troops taking part in mass drills ordered by President Vladimir Putin this week to 80,000 in a major show of strength amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.
Russia's chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, declared that the "number of troops taking part in the exercises has gone up to 80,000, and the number of aircraft has increased to 220".
Moreover, troops in the western and central regions and military aircraft were scrambled for exercises, Gerasimov said.
The drills were the latest in a succession of large-scale military maneuvers that Moscow had ordered as relations with the West had plunged to a post-Cold War low over the crisis in Ukraine.
Furthermore, Russia indicated that thousands of troops had launched war games on the remote Pacific island of Sakhalin close to Japan.
Moscow had deployed "more than 3,000 troops and up to 1,000 units of weaponry and equipment" to Sakhalin, including OSA ground-to-air missile systems and tanks, the defence ministry said.
Russia held triumphant celebrations this week to commemorate a year since Crimea rejoined it.
The latest exercises included the deployment of Tupolev nuclear-capable bomber jets to Crimea, where Russia had said it wants to permanently station the long-range bombers in 2016.
In February, Russia launched massive drills involving several thousand soldiers close to its borders with the Baltic States, stoking concerns the Kremlin could try to destabilize the EU member countries after its actions in Ukraine.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
Comments
- Related News
Putin Envoy to Visit Washington
2 months ago
Putin: Russia to Finish Off Ukrainian Forces
3 months ago
