Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the commencement of air defense exercises in Western Siberia and in the Ural Mountains this Tuesday.
According to Reuters, the Russian exercises will involve 12,000 soldiers and 250 aircraft, and will serve as a preparation for a larger drill in September called Tsentr-2015.
The announcement comes a mere day after a large Arctic training exercise was initiated in the Nordic countries by the United States and eight European nations within the NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” framework. The exercise, dubbed “Arctic Challenge Exercise” by NATO, involves 4000 personnel and about 100 aircraft, Reuters reported.
The Russian exercise, described by the Defense Ministry as a “massive surprise inspection” according to the BBC, does not strike the people involved as a big surprise. “It’s normal activity from [the Russian] side, and we have seen a little more of that lately”, Anders Gustafsson of the Swedish Air Force told DN.TV on Tuesday.
Russian military activity has increased significantly since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis in early 2014, with numerous airspace violations reported by Nordic and Baltic countries, according to Reuters. Notable incidents reported were a near-collision between a civilian passenger plane and a Russian reconnaissance plane over the Baltic in March 2014 as well as a submarine hunt conducted by Sweden in October over a suspected Russian intrusion.
This has prompted the Nordic countries to issue a joint declaration in April that branded Russia’s actions as “the biggest challenge to European security” and encouraged increased military deterrence activities, according to Reuters.
The Russian “inspection” is due to last until Saturday, while the “Arctic Challenge Exercise” is scheduled to end on June 5, DN.TV reports.
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