MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Over 2,000 military exercises were held in Russia in the winter training period, which lasts from December until April, the ministry’s press service said, adding that the number of bilateral drills grew by almost 45 percent.
“On June 1, 2015 the summer training period starts within the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The intensity of the forces’ combat training will increase 1.5 times as compared to the winter period.”
The summer training will last until the end of November. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, its focus will be joint tactical exercises.
The boost in Russian military drills comes amid Moscow's concerns over the strengthening of NATO’s military presence along Russian borders. The bloc started the military buildup in Eastern Europe after Crimea reunited with Russia in 2014 and the conflict in southeastern Ukraine escalated.
NATO has since accused Moscow of being involved in the fighting between Kiev forces and independence supporters in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, something that Russia has repeatedly denied.
