“In total, more than 140 war and support ships, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 pieces of military equipment and about 10,000 soldiers will participate,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, quoted by Russian news agencies.
The exercise takes place at a time when the tension with the West can be cut. Russia has brought 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian border in recent months and is demanding rock-solid guarantees that the ex-Soviet state will never join the NATO military alliance. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to remain a kind of ‘satellite state’ of Russia.
“The statements are repeated over and over and do not help to ease current tensions. In addition, they could contribute to destabilizing the situation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
Mikhailo Podoljak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky’s cabinet, said Ukraine welcomed Biden’s threat of a coordinated Western response should Russia invade the country.
