© PHOTO: RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY
New York Times: Russia Announces Surprise Military Drills in South
MOSCOW — Russia’s Defense Ministry announced a surprise military exercise on Monday that ordered troops garrisoned throughout the nation’s southern region to full combat readiness, a move that appeared intended to unnerve neighbors.
State television showed pilots clambering into their airplanes in snowy airfields and officers unfurling maps and speaking on telephones. The exercise began at 5 a.m.
“From that moment, we began our surprise check of the military preparedness in the southwest strategic direction,” Sergei K. Shoigu, the defense minister, said in comments carried on state television.
The military said the training was needed to test the military’s readiness to rebuff a foreign attack or help in a natural disaster in southern Russia.
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WNU Editor: This Russian region is the closest to Syria. It is also a clear message to Turkey and to the Arab states to not intervene directly in Syria.
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