Bilateral tactical exercises of the marines and the Black Sea Fleet will start in Crimea on September 7.

This is reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"More than 500 servicemen and about 100 units of military and special equipment, as well as ships and support vessels of the Black Sea Fleet will take part in a bilateral tactical exercise with units of the Marine Corps and the 22nd Army Corps of the Black Sea Fleet at the Opuk training ground in the Republic of Crimea," the message says. defense department.

It is also noted that according to the scenario of maneuvers, servicemen will have to perform a number of training and combat missions.

“For example, subunits of the Marine Corps, with fire support from the naval strike group of the fleet, will land from the sea on the coast of a simulated enemy from amphibious ships on armored personnel carriers BTR-82a and seize a bridgehead with a further offensive.

And the units of the coastal defense formation will work out the actions of the personnel to organize the defense of the sea coast, ”the RF Ministry of Defense said.

As the department clarified, at the final stage of the exercises, the units will conduct live firing from all types of small arms, grenade launchers, armament of combat vehicles at targets imitating the equipment and manpower of a conditional enemy.

Earlier, on September 1, units of the army corps of the Black Sea Fleet completed a set of special maneuvers for the types of all-round support of the troops taking place in the Crimea.

"During the exercises at training ranges and in sea areas, the tasks of engineering, radiation, chemical and biological protection, topogeodetic, navigation, logistical, medical and special types of support were worked out," the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

As noted, more than a thousand military took part in the training, about 300 units of military and special equipment were involved.

Protection of Crimea

We will remind that in April in the Crimea, interspecific exercises were also held at the Opuk training ground as part of a sudden check of combat readiness.

"In the practical actions of troops (forces) at the Opuk training ground, units of the combined-arms formation, air force and air defense formations, battleships and ships, military units of the coastal forces of the Black Sea Fleet, part of the forces of the Caspian Flotilla of the Southern Military District, as well as airborne forces took part," in the message of the Ministry of Defense.

It was also noted that in the active phase of the maneuvers, more than 10 thousand soldiers were practicing their skills.

Also, 1.2 thousand units of weapons and military equipment were used, including more than 40 ships and boats, 20 support vessels, about 200 aircraft, including 40 military transport aircraft.

  • Exercises of the troops of the Southern Military District and the Airborne Forces at the Opuk training ground

  • RIA News

  • © Vadim Savitsky

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, summing up the results of the interspecific exercises, said that "the objectives of the surprise check have been fully achieved."

“The troops have demonstrated their ability to provide a reliable defense of the country.

In this regard, I have made a decision to complete verification activities in the Southern and Western military districts, ”said the head of the RF Ministry of Defense.

The day before Shoigu announced the end of interspecific exercises in Crimea, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reported on "Ukrainian myth-making about some myriad Russian troops deployed on the border" with Ukraine.

She also stated that "weapons and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are actively being drawn to the contact line, and the suburbs of Donetsk are daily bombarded with Ukrainian shells and mines, which kill civilians, including children."

At the same time, Shoigu previously noted that the United States and NATO are transferring their troops to the borders of the European part of Russia.

“There is a movement of troops in Europe to the Russian borders.

The main forces are concentrated in the Black Sea and the Baltic region, ”the Russian Defense Minister said at a meeting in Severomorsk on April 13.

As the head of the military department said at the time, in general, "40,000 servicemen and 15,000 units of weapons and military equipment, including strategic aviation, will be concentrated near Russian territories."

Prior to that, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reported on the "purely provocative measures" of the United States in the Black Sea.

According to him, American warships near the Russian coast "have absolutely nothing to do."

“The United States, apparently, feeling itself as the ruler of the seas, in this regard inheriting Great Britain from another era, should still understand that the risks of certain incidents are very high,” he said.

Ryabkov advised Washington to "stay away from Crimea" and from the Russian Black Sea coast.

“It will be for their own good,” added the deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"Consolidate the achieved results"

As military expert Yuri Knutov noted in an interview with RT, the geopolitical situation, in particular, the increasing activity of NATO countries, as well as Ukraine near the Russian borders, dictates to Russia the need to carefully work out the tasks of organizing the defense of the Crimean coast.

“The upcoming September training at the Opuk training ground is pursuing the same goal.

At the same time, they serve as a warning for the enemies of the Russian Federation, who come out with statements about the so-called de-occupation of Crimea, in particular NATO countries and Ukraine ... share, ”said the analyst.

Knutov stressed that the upcoming exercises in Crimea "are of a purely defensive nature."

  • Russian military during exercises on types of support in Crimea

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

“In the course of such trainings, tasks related specifically to the defense of the peninsula are being worked out.

The Russian military will not pursue any aggressive targets during these maneuvers.

At the same time, it is absolutely clear that the scenario of the exercises was developed taking into account the international situation and the strategy followed by NATO, ”the expert explained.

Against the background of the growth of aggressive provocations in the Crimea region from the alliance countries and Ukraine, such an approach is simply necessary, Knutov said.

“Too fresh in memory, in particular, is the incident with the British destroyer, which entered the territorial waters of Crimea, violating the Russian state border, but the Black Sea Fleet and the FSB border service helped him to think again in time.

However, it is naive to believe that this is the last provocation on the part of NATO countries.

Tension in the region will persist, while the bloc's pressure will increase, ”the analyst predicted.

For this reason, the level of combat readiness of the Crimean units must be extremely high, Knutov noted.

“And through regular military maneuvers in Crimea, this is achieved.

The September exercises should consolidate the achieved results, ”he said.

Military expert retired colonel Viktor Litovkin has a similar opinion.

In a commentary to RT, he said that the upcoming exercises in Crimea are aimed at maintaining the level of skill of the Russian military.

“These skills will be useful to the servicemen of the Russian Federation at the most crucial moment - for example, when there is another provocation by NATO or Ukraine in the Black Sea and you need to be ready to repel any aggression, to be on full alert.

Trainings like the upcoming September one in Crimea contribute to maintaining the required level of security on Russia's southern borders and their reliable protection, "the analyst summed up.