MOSCOW, December 23 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Russian paratroopers will conduct military maneuvers in Crimea and near the Ukrainian border this week, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday, citing the Russian defense ministry.
Some 1,200 soldiers and more than 250 vehicles and planes will participate in the exercises, which will take place in the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 and in the neighboring Russian province of Krasnodar.
According to Interfax, the troops should simulate the capture of an area as part of an offensive operation.
According to Washington, Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, a possible prelude to an invasion. Moscow denies any bellicose intent, denounces the aggressive behavior of Kiev and the West, and declares that these troop movements are purely defensive in nature. (Report Olzhas Asezov; French version Dina Kartit, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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