Russia launches massive military exercises in the Southern Military District all along the Ukrainian border.

According to media reports in recent weeks, Russian Defense Forces held serial of tactical military exercises in the Voronezh, Bryansk, Rostov regions and in the illegally annexed Crimea.

Amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the motorized rifle brigade units of the Southern Military District conducted a series of exercises at the Kuzminsky training ground, which is located 60 km from the Ukrainian border, runs through a range of scenarios, including simulating of the large-scale strike against potential enemy’s defense.

In addition to motorized rifle brigade, tankers participated in the exercise, who conducted an offensive battle and fire reconnaissance of the area.

At the same time, the engineering unit set up a minefield, and the drone operators found the positions of a conditional enemy and transferred the coordinates to the command post for aimed fire.

At the same time, the Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system units in cooperation with the counter-commando units at the Molkino test site in Krasnodar region conducted training launches.

Combat outpost units that escorted the systems trained to set a smoke screen for disorientation of the adversary and camouflaging the convoy, and also practiced various tactical techniques to eliminate the adversary saboteurs.

Also in exercises were involved the crews of Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft, Su-24M tactical bombers, Su-30SM advanced fighters, An-26 aircraft, Be-12 anti-submarine aircraft, Mi-8, and Ka-27 helicopters, a total of more than 30 pieces from the Black Sea Fleet Naval Aviation.

Pilots conducted air combat training at short and long distances performing aerobatic maneuvers and completed tasks of tactical and operational camouflage.

Air defense systems S-400 Triumph stationed in Crimea have practiced elimination of air targets by conducting simulated electronic missile launches, the press-service of the Southern Military District said on Wednesday.

“The fighter bombers were hypothetically eliminated by S-400 missiles before they could cope with their tasks,” the press-service said.

The enemy air targets were simulated by a squadron of multirole fighter bombers Sukhoi-34, which flew from a base in the Rostov Region to a proving ground in Crimea where the crews practiced bomb drops.

Furthermore, Russia’s Federation Council on Wednesday approved a statement saying that violations of the rules of navigation by Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait are fraught with a military conflict with Russia in which NATO may be involved.