Surprise drills to continue in Russian Armed Forces - Kremlin official
MOSCOW. March 19 (Interfax) - Surprise exercises and combat readiness inspections will continue in the Russian Armed Forces, and the ongoing drills of Russian units in South Ossetia are not linked with the signing of the alliance and integration treaty between Moscow and Tskhinvali, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
"I can only confirm that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, as commander-in-chief, has said more than once that the practice of both exercises and surprise inspections will continue. These are routine events aimed at further perfecting the Armed Forces of Russia, and this practice has always justified itself," he added.
The live-fire exercises in South Ossetia have nothing to do with the alliance and integration treaty signed between Russia and South Ossetia on March 18, Peskov said.
"These drills cannot stem from the treaty, which was signed yesterday. It is a framework treaty. More specific documents will subsequently be drafted and signed on its basis," he said.
