BELGRADE, June 15. /TASS/. Exercise Platinum Wolf, which involves troops from the US and some other NATO member countries, has started in southern Serbia, the Serbian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The exercise is taking place despite the fact that the Balkan country has a moratorium on international maneuvers in place. Besides Serbia, another non-NATO member country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is taking part in the drills.

"The Platinum Wolf 23 international military tactical exercise started today," the ministry said in a statement. "It has been organized by the Armed Forces of Serbia and the US European Command. Over the next two weeks, around 600 officers and soldiers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the UK, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Romania, the United States, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Serbia will practice tactics and techniques for peacekeeping operations with an emphasis on the use of non-lethal weapons. The exercise scenario includes urban combat, base defense, crowd control, and checkpoint duty."

After Russia started the special military operation in Ukraine, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that the country was suspending military and police exercises with all foreign partners. However, in April, representatives of the US European Command held a joint tactical drill with Serbian troops. The Serbian Defense Ministry said earlier, in response to a request from TASS, that Serbia would host Exercise Platinum Wolf despite the government's moratorium on any international maneuvers. The Serbian Defense Ministry justified deviating from the moratorium with the need to comply with the country’s international commitments as the Serbian army participates in multinational operations.