President
Vladimir Putin ordered the launch of large-scale Russian military
exercises in the Black Sea region on Thursday, his spokesman said, in a
move that may create tensions with Russia's post-Soviet neighbors
Ukraine and Georgia. Putin issued the order to start
the previously unannounced maneuvers at 4 a.m. Moscow time (12.00 a.m.
EDT) as he flew back from an international summit in South Africa, his
spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters by telephone.
"These
are large-scale unannounced test exercises," Peskov said, adding that
36 warships and an unspecified number of warplanes would take part. "The
main goal is to check the readiness and cohesion of the various units." He did not say how long the exercises would last. Putin
has stressed the importance of a strong and agile military since he
returned to the presidency last May after four years as prime minister.
In 13 years in power, he has often cited external threats when talking
of the need for unity in
Russia.
Russia's
Black Sea fleet, whose main base is in the Ukrainian port of
Sevastopol, was instrumental in a war with Georgia in 2008 over the
Russian-backed breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Disputes
with Kiev over Moscow's continued lease of the Black Sea navy base have
been a thorn in relations with its former Soviet neighbor. Peskov
said that Russia is under no obligation to warn neighbors ahead of time
of plans to hold the air and sea military exercises as long as fewer
than 7,000 servicemen participated in the maneuvers.
(Reuters)
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