Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 19 August 2016: Russia conducts military exercises in the Crimea

On Friday, August 19, the Russian Navy and land forces conducted a logistics exercise in the Crimea – RIA Novosti news agency reported. These actions in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, were the last part of a series of military exercises that have started on August 16 in the South Federal District. Over 2,500 soldiers and approximately 350 units of equipment were involved in the logistics exercise.

During the opening ceremony of the exercises, Russian Deputy Defense Minister general Dmitrij Bulhakov said that their main purpose is to prepare for Caucasus 2016 exercises in September. Moreover, Bulhakov informed that Russian military is also training for emergency situations, for instance, extinguishing fire on a ship or towing a damaged vessel. However, the main purpose of the exercises was to test the combat readiness of warships for practical operations at sea and the capacity to supply units with fuel and ammunition – the Minister explained.

In the middle of the military exercises on the peninsula, Vladimir Putin arrived on a working visit. According to RIA Novosti, the Russian President came to lead the Security Council of the Russian Referation and to participate in the meeting of young people at the Tavrida Forum. Putin declared that “the goal of the meeting of the SC is to discus additional measures to ensure the safety of the inhabitants of Crimea and incoming tourists. Especially after subversive entry into Crimea of Ukrainian army groups”. According to Putin’s statement, Russia is not going to break diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

Russian military exercises in Crimea take place in the context of the escalation of tensions between Ukrainian and Russian. The tensions stem from the information provided by the Russian Security Service about the alleged planning of the terroristic attack by Ukraine. Ministry of Defense and the intelligence services of Ukraine categorically reject any such accusation.