All news

Russian military to inspect Adriatic Strike exercise area in Slovenia

The Adriatic Strike 2015 military exercise with the participation of some 400 troops from several NATO member states is underway in Slovenia from June 1 to June 6
NATO military exercises EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT
NATO military exercises
© EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT

MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. Russia’s mission within the framework of the Vienna Document of 2011 on confidence and security-building measures will inspect in the period from June 2 to 5 an area in north-eastern Slovenia, where the Adriatic Strike 2015 force exercise is conducted, acting head of the Russian National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Ruslan Shishin said on Tuesday.

"Russian inspectors will visit the training ranges, get information from the command of military formations and units, as well as about the Adriatic Strike 2015 ground force exercise underway in the northeast of Slovenia," he said.

The inspection is carried out to determine the extent of military activities subject to prior notification within a specified area, or confirm the absence of such. The inspection will cover an area of up to 12,000 square km.

Vienna Document 2011 (VD11) is composed of politically binding confidence and security-building measures (CSBMs) designed to increase openness and transparency concerning military activities conducted inside the OSCE's zone of application (ZOA), which includes the territory, surrounding sea areas, and air space of all European (Russia from the western border to the Ural Mountains) and Central Asian participating States. A variety of information exchanges, on-site inspections, evaluation visits, observation visits, and other military-to-military contacts take place according to VD11 provisions. In the case of the United States (and Canada), only military forces and activities inside the ZOA are impacted.

The Adriatic Strike 2015 military exercise with the participation of some 400 troops from several NATO member states and about a dozen of aircraft and helicopters is underway in Slovenia from June 1 to June 6.