Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an urgent drill to check the combat readiness of the armed forces in western and central Russia, including areas near the border with Ukraine.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says the drill will involve army, navy and air force troops and will check the force's "readiness to deal with crisis situations that threaten the nation's military security."
The announcement Wednesday comes as pro-Russia demonstrators faced off with supporters of Ukraine's new pro-Western interim leaders in the southern city of Simferopol.
Small-scale clashes broke out between the shouting protesters, some of whom were injured in the incident, which happened in the courtyard of an administrative building in the Crimean capital.
The Crimean peninsula is mainly made up of Russian speakers who support Moscow, though it also includes a minority Tatar group that tends to take an anti-Russia stance.
The Russian navy's Black Sea Fleet is based on the Crimean coast, and Russia's RIA Novosti state news agency Wednesday quoted Shoigu as saying Moscow is "carefully watching what is happening in Crimea" and taking measures to "guarantee the safety" of the fleet's "facilities, infrastructure and arsenals."
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Russia Mobilizing Troops?
Voice of America News reports:
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