Early this morning Russia initiated large-scale military exercises
in the Black Sea. The order for this was given by Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
"At 4 am today, the defense minister received a closed envelope with
the corresponding order," the presidential press-secretary Dmitry
Peskov is quoted by ITAR-TASS. He said the exercises involved
36 ships based in Sevastopol and Novorossiisk, aircraft and 7 thousand
personnel.
Exercises that involve up to 7 thousand troops are not subject in
international practice to prior notification of
partners, including those from NATO. "As part of international
practice it is the sovereign right of any country to conduct planned
or sudden exercises," a spokesman said. "It is a
big surprise inspection" of the readiness of the units."
