Ukrainian Intelligence suggests Putin may attend Russian military exercise in Crimea
According to a representative of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit the Crimea to attend the Caucasus 2016 military exercise, as reported by Glavnoe.
The SBU’s representative said that Putin may even participate in certain activities during the military drills.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu is also expected to travel to the occupied Peninsula for Caucasus 2016.
As stated by Shoygu last month, “allow me to focus on preparations for the Caucasus 2016 strategic command-and-staff exercises. Against the backdrop of the complicated international military-political situation, it is important to evaluate our capacity for protecting national interests in the southwestern strategic sector during the exercises.”
Russian military exercises in the country’s west have become more common over the last year. Earlier this month, exercises were held in southern Russia and the Crimea, and paratrooper exercises were held last week in the Pskov region near the borders of Estonia and Latvia.