Russian President Vladimir Putin
(Picture: PA Media)Six Russian warships are heading to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean for naval drills, the Interfax news agency has said.
The news agency cited Russia’s Defence Ministry on Tuesday morning, in what it said was a pre-planned movement of military resources.
Russian news agencies said it was the start of three weeks of military drills in southern Russia, and would involve missile systems, tanks and armoured vehicles.
It was not clear whether the drills were a new development or part of a longstanding plan.
The Kremlin announced in December that 3,000 drills would take place in the country’s south during 2022.
The Russian government also announced its navy would stage a sweeping set of exercises involving all its fleets in January and February, from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Russia’s southern military district borders Ukraine and includes Crimea, territory Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.
However, a list of 10 areas in southern Russia and breakaway regions of Georgia where the drills would take place did not include territories along the Ukrainian frontier.
It comes as the latest show of strength in a stand-off with the West over Ukraine.
Western allies fear Russia is planning to launch a full-scale invasion on Ukraine after it assembled more than 100,000 troops near the border.
The Russian president warned European countries will be drawn into military conflict if Ukraine joins Nato, following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.
Mr Putin also said there would be “no winners” from the ongoing crisis, after meeting with his French counterpart at the Kremlin.
Russia is insisting Ukraine should not be allowed to join Nato and has accused the Ukrainian government of failing to implement the Minsk agreement - an international deal to restore peace to the east, where Russian-backed rebels control swathes of territory and at least 14,000 people have been killed since 2014.
In 2014, Russia launched a military operation and annexed 10,000 square miles of Ukraine territory in its south Crimea peninsula, and backed a rebellion in the eastern Donbas region.
