ILLUSTRATION. The Ukrainian army prepares for positions on the front line of the City of Novotoshkivske, Luhansk Region, Ukraine, Sunday (26/7/2020).
Reporter: SS. Kurniawan | Editor: SS Kurniawan
KONTAN.CO.ID – KIEV. Ukraine staged a massive military exercise on Wednesday (23/9) in response to a Caucasus-2020 strategic military exercise in neighboring Russia.
Quoting Reuters, Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that the military drills were aimed at showing its army’s readiness to repel any attack from Russian soil.
Relations between Russia, which began strategic commando exercises on Monday, and Ukraine – both former Soviet Union – deteriorated in 2014 when Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Kiev.
As many as 12,000 soldiers and dozens of armored vehicles are taking part in Ukraine’s military exercises on the ground, part of a broader exercise that includes the Navy in the Black Sea.
Last week, Ukraine and the United States (US) held joint military exercises, a few days after Russia began military exercises with Belarus.
Also Read: Russia held massive military exercises, five other countries took part, including China
Russia is holding a strategic military exercise titled Caucasus 2020 starting Monday (21/9). The Russian Defense Ministry said a total of more than 80,000 personnel were involved in the exercises.
Launch TASS, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the 2020 Caucasus will take place at several training sites in the Southern Military District Command until September 26. Including, in the Black and Caspian Seas.
Together with Russia, military units from Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar and Pakistan will be involved in the exercise. No more than 1,000 foreign troops will take part in the 2020 Caucasus.
Meanwhile, representatives from Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka will act as observers. The Caucasus-2020 took place under the direction of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army General Valery Gerasimov.
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