Russian fighter jets, helicopters and warships flaunt their military might near Crimea after Vladimir Putin snatched the peninsula
The drills gave a clear message that any attack on Crime would be fought off
RUSSIA deployed cruise missiles, multiple rocket launchers and tanks during massive military drills in Crimea today.
The country is staging war games on land, air and sea in manoeuvres across Russia’s entire southern military district on the border of Ukraine.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in April 2014 and since then has sent thousands of troops and heavy weaponry there.
Today it flexed its muscles by inviting media and international military officials to watch as thousands of soldiers performed tank battles and amphibious landings.
Helicopter gunships and missile batteries repelled a mock invasion from the sea and the whole exercise involved more than 120,000 troops.
The display of military might was one of the largest Russia has held for years and showcased its ground, marine and air forces.
Spectacular images show Sukhoi jets zooming across the sky dropping explosives as Russian warships sailed up to the shore.
Paratroopers made a mass landing as ground forces ignited a wall of fire with napalm.
Among the military hardware on show appeared to be batteries of S-300 missiles, a highly capable air defence system.
Moscow recently said it had deployed S-400 missiles, a more advanced variant of the S-300, in Crimea, which would allow the Russian military to target any aircraft in a large part of Ukrainian airspace.
Asked about the weapons, defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the batteries on show were “all made of plastic”. However, he also said S-400s had been fired during the drill the previous day.
He added: “On such a scale and with the deployment of different force groupings, such drills are being held for the first time.
“This training range is the biggest on the Crimean peninsula, which allows for such exercises to be held.”
The exercises took place at a remote firing range at the Black Sea coast and were watched by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the head of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as well as Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov.
Despite the theatrics, Russia were keen to stress that there was no politics involved in the macho display.
Konashenkov said: “You should not twist this into anything — there’s no politics.”
Apparently the drill was planned last year and is not related to current heightened tensions with the West.
But it sent a clear message that any real attack on Crime will be fought off.
The drills also come about a month after President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of sending a group of saboteurs into Crimea, saying Ukraine was “practising terror.”
Two Russian officers were killed in clashes on the frontier but Ukraine denied any involvement.
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