Russia announces sweeping naval drills amid Ukraine tensions

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has announced sweeping naval drills in several parts of the world this month, and claims the West is plotting “provocations” in neighboring Ukraine where the Kremlin has been accused of planning aggressive military action. Amid a buildup of some 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and massive joint war games with Belarus, the Russian Defense Ministry said it will also conduct maneuvers involving the bulk of the country’s naval potential. Over 140 warships and more than 60 aircraft will take part in the drills that will start this month and run through February. They will be conducted in both littoral waters and more distant areas, including the Mediterranean, northeastern Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.