Ukraine launches missile tests near Crimea
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Soviet-made tactical ballistic missile complexes Tochka (Point) roll during a military parade in Kiev on August 24, 2016, to celebrate Independence Day, 25 years after Ukraine gained independence from the former Soviet Union. (Photo by AFP)
Ukraine has declared the start of a two-day, major missile test near the Crimean Peninsula, stirring tensions with Russia, which regards the region as part of its territory.
According to Press TV, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry made the announcement late on Wednesday, stressing that the tests, launched in the country’s southern Kherson region, to the north of Crimea, are legitimate and in conformity with international law.
Crimea is a flashpoint. In March 2014, the territory, which was under Ukrainian control at the time, held a non-government-sanctioned referendum and voted to join Russia. Kiev and Western countries never recognized Crimea’s separation and its subsequent “annexation” by Russia.
“The exercises will go ahead on December 1-2. They will involve tests of medium-range anti-aircraft missiles and include combat, transport and unmanned aircraft, as well as a division of anti-aircraft missile, radar and communications troops,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.
“Ukraine is a sovereign state. All military exercises and tests are held according to a strict schedule and under international law…as for any threats, no one can interfere with the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operational plans,” he added.
Another Ukrainian official, Vladimir Kryzhanovsky, who is the head of the southern branch of the Ukrainian military’s press service, separately said on Thursday that, during flight, the missiles would come as close as 30 kilometers to Crimean airspace.
Russia had already warned against the intrusion of missiles into Crimean skies and threatened to take retaliatory military action.
ME
