KIEV, April 24 (RIA Novosti) - There will be no foreign military involvement in this summer's Sea Breeze military exercises in Ukraine's Crimea, a first deputy Ukrainian navy commander said Friday.
The Sea Breeze exercises have been taking place annually in the Crimea since 1997, and have seen occasionally violent anti-NATO protests in recent years.
Last year's Sea Breeze drills saw protesters set up camps along the Black Sea coast, and reportedly attempt to prevent foreign warships participating in the exercises from leaving the port of Odessa.
"Sea Breeze 2009 does not envision the stay of foreign military units on the territory of the Crimea," Vice Admiral Viktor Maksimov said, adding that, "only Ukrainian Armed Forces units" would take part.
He also said that media reports suggesting that the exercises would see the involvement of U.S. and other NATO forces were false.
