Lagatar24 Desk
Moscow, Feb 18: According to the defence ministry, President Vladimir Putin will attend military drills involving Russian “strategic forces” on Saturday, which will include ballistic and cruise missile launches.
The manoeuvres come as Russia announces the withdrawal of soldiers from Ukraine, a move that has raised fears in the West, particularly in Washington, that Moscow is preparing an attack.
The defence ministry announced Friday that Putin will lead “a scheduled exercise of strategic deterrence forces… during which ballistic and cruise missiles will be deployed.”
It stated that the air force, southern military district units, as well as the northern and Black Sea navies, would be participating. The launch of ballistic missiles is a “regular training activity,” according to the Kremlin.
“All the details have been made public in advance,” said Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, dismissing any concerns or questions about the drills.
Large-scale military manoeuvres near Kyiv’s borders, as well as in Belarus, have exacerbated tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine and European security.
Despite Russia’s announcement that some of its troops have been withdrawn and returned to permanent posts, the West claims that no real disengagement has occurred.
Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists in the country’s east have traded allegations over an increase in firing between separatist and government-controlled territory.
