Ukraine draws OSCE's attention to Russia's naval drills in Black Sea

The relevant statement was voiced at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on January 27, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Against the background of increasing military presence along the state border with Ukraine and in the occupied territories, Russia has also spread the escalation at sea. Yesterday (January 26 - ed.) Russian navy kicked off military exercises in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian delegation noted, adding that frigates, patrol, missile, and landing vessels are involved.

The Ukrainian mission’s chief, Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk has put forward a question, what exactly are the tasks that Russia is posed to fulfill using warships as part of landing and strike groups.

He pointed out that Russia continues to deploy a disproportionate number of weapons systems, including nuclear ones, in the already militarized territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea, which further undermines European security.

The diplomat stressed that the events of recent months have clearly shown that Russia has taken a deliberate stance toward increasing tensions and is now again threatening Ukraine and its people with the use of force.

The mission’s chief reiterated the fact that more than 106,000 regular and well-trained Russian servicemen have been amassed near the eastern border of Ukraine, along with 1,500 main battle tanks, 3,600 armored combat vehicles, and more than 2,000 artillery units.

Moreover, these forces and hardware have been deployed there with no good reason, Tsymbaliuk told the OSCE Permanent Council.

According to the Ukrainian diplomat, Russia’s intention to hold military exercises near the northern border of Ukraine and the transfer of Su-35 fighter jets is also worrying.

He has called for transparency of the exercises, including through voluntary briefings.

He also drew the attention of foreign delegations to the fact that Russia continues to strengthen the combat and offensive capabilities of its forces in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. According to Tsymbaliuk, the proposal of the Russian ruling party, United Russia, to officially supply military hardware and ammunition to certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions only proves what’s long been known, that is, such supplies have never ceased.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russia’s armed forces have conducted a series of exercises over the past month, including in the regions bordering Ukraine, as well as scheduled new maneuvers. They are taking place against the backdrop of rising tensions between Russia and NATO and reports of a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia

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