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| Ukraine missile drill to avoid Crimea airspace, military officials say | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Ukraine’s military has said a two-day missile drill will avoid the airspace over Crimea, sidestepping a possible confrontation with Russia, which annexed the peninsula in 2014. | Ukraine’s military has said a two-day missile drill will avoid the airspace over Crimea, sidestepping a possible confrontation with Russia, which annexed the peninsula in 2014. |
| News of the tests starting on Thursday had angered the Kremlin, prompting it to put its air defence forces on high alert and manoeuvre warships in the Black Sea. | News of the tests starting on Thursday had angered the Kremlin, prompting it to put its air defence forces on high alert and manoeuvre warships in the Black Sea. |
| The disagreement marked another escalation in tensions between the neighbours and onetime allies, whose relations collapsed after Russia seized Crimea and backed pro-Russia separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine. | The disagreement marked another escalation in tensions between the neighbours and onetime allies, whose relations collapsed after Russia seized Crimea and backed pro-Russia separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine. |
| Volodymyr Kryzhanovsky, a Ukrainian military official, said the exercises, taking place in the Kherson region, which borders Crimea, were in accordance with international law. | Volodymyr Kryzhanovsky, a Ukrainian military official, said the exercises, taking place in the Kherson region, which borders Crimea, were in accordance with international law. |
| The exercises were taking place at least 18 miles (30km) from Crimea’s airspace, he told the 112 TV channel, adding: “Therefore it would be wrong to reproach Ukraine.” | The exercises were taking place at least 18 miles (30km) from Crimea’s airspace, he told the 112 TV channel, adding: “Therefore it would be wrong to reproach Ukraine.” |
| Moscow initially responded to the test plans by putting its land-based and ship-borne air defence forces in Crimea on higher alert, and a Russian military source accused Ukraine of trying to create a “nervous situation”. | Moscow initially responded to the test plans by putting its land-based and ship-borne air defence forces in Crimea on higher alert, and a Russian military source accused Ukraine of trying to create a “nervous situation”. |
| On Thursday, Russia’s federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, said it had received new coordinates for the tests that meant the “danger zone reserved for missile launches does not now affect the airspace over Russian territorial waters”. | On Thursday, Russia’s federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, said it had received new coordinates for the tests that meant the “danger zone reserved for missile launches does not now affect the airspace over Russian territorial waters”. |
| Ukraine said the aim of the tests was to bolster its defence capabilities. | Ukraine said the aim of the tests was to bolster its defence capabilities. |
| A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Wednesday that he did not know whether the president, Vladimir Putin, had ordered the defence ministry to prepare a potential military response to the Ukrainian tests. | A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Wednesday that he did not know whether the president, Vladimir Putin, had ordered the defence ministry to prepare a potential military response to the Ukrainian tests. |
| He was responding to a question about Ukrainian media reports that said the Russian defence ministry had told Ukraine’s military envoy that Moscow would shoot down any missiles and destroy launchers if Kiev test-fired missiles in the airspace near Crimea. | He was responding to a question about Ukrainian media reports that said the Russian defence ministry had told Ukraine’s military envoy that Moscow would shoot down any missiles and destroy launchers if Kiev test-fired missiles in the airspace near Crimea. |
| “In the Kremlin we wouldn’t want to see any actions by the Ukrainian side that breached international law and that might create dangerous conditions for international flights over the territory of Russia and adjacent regions,” said Peskov. | “In the Kremlin we wouldn’t want to see any actions by the Ukrainian side that breached international law and that might create dangerous conditions for international flights over the territory of Russia and adjacent regions,” said Peskov. |
| Kryzhanovsky said the Ukrainian military was ready for “any developments”. Russia held large-scale war games across its southern military district in September, including Crimea. | Kryzhanovsky said the Ukrainian military was ready for “any developments”. Russia held large-scale war games across its southern military district in September, including Crimea. |