Russian fighter jets along western borders put on high alert during drills - Defense Ministry
MOSCOW. Feb 27 (Interfax-AVN) - The crews of fighter jets deployed in Russia's Western Military Districts have been placed on high alert as part of surprise combat drills ordered by Russian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said.
"Our fighter jets are constantly patrolling the airspace over border districts," the ministry said in a press release, seen by Interfax-AVN on Thursday.
"As soon as they were put on high alert, aviation units of the Western Military District redeployed to their operative air fields," it said.
At the moment, "the district's bombers are tackling combat training tasks targeting an imaginary adversary at aviation training ranges," the ministry said.
Surprise military drills aimed at assessing the combat readiness of soldiers in Russia's Western and Central Military Districts. In addition, the Airborne Troops command were launched on February 26 on orders issued by Putin.
Up to 150,000 personnel, 90 airplanes, over 120 helicopters, up to 880 tanks, over 1,200 units of military hardware and up to 80 ships and vessels will be involved in the exercises.
Russia's Western neighbors have already expressed their concern over the drills. In particular, Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Marijus Velicka said that he was troubled by this inspection of combat readiness announced by the Russian Armed Forces.
"Russia is a sovereign state and it can hold such surprise drills whenever it pleases, but I am concerned that all this is happing not far from its border with Lithuania," he told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday evening.
Russia's current actions are not accidental, Velicka said.
"Since the political situation in Ukraine is not stable today, such exercises come as a justified cause for concern that the probability of such events being just a coincidence is quite small. These events have probably been prompted by certain developments," he said.