The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced the start of military drills near the Ukrainian border on Dec. 1.
According to Russia, over 10,000 service members of Russia’s southern military district will take part in military drills at 30 training grounds in several Russian regions such as Rostov, Volgograd, Stavropol, Astrakhan, Kuban, and North Ossetia.
The drills will also take place in Crimea, occupied by Russia since March 2014.
Meanwhile, NATO’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in Riga on Nov. 30 - Dec. 1. They discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine and the migrant crisis in neighboring Belarus.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine and Georgia are "close NATO partners" and the alliance will support their sovereignty and territorial integrity by training, providing maritime support and sharing intelligence information.
