Ukranians protest US-Ukraine drill

press tv
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:58:34

NATO flexes muscle by US-led drill
Ukrainians pour into streets in protest to the NATO military drill in
the ex-Soviet satellite state as US forces brace for the war games.

Protestors clashed with the police as they tried to seal off a hall
hosting the launch of the Sea Breeze-2008 NATO military drill in
Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa, according to TV reports.

Russia’s NTV aired videos of protestors, waving flags and chanting
"NATO stop!" as a Turkish vessel arrived into Odessa’s harbour.

Sergei Mironov, Russia’s speaker of the upper house of the parliament,
was quoted by Interfax as saying that the drill "will increase
political and military tensions in Europe as a whole."

Sea Breeze-2008, which will wrap up on July 26, also includes Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia,
Germany, Greece, Latvia, Macedonia and Turkey.

Nana Intskirveli, the Georgian defense ministry spokeswoman said that
separate military drills dubbed Immediate Response-2008 are to begin in
Georgia on Tuesday with Armenian, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian and US troops
in attendance, the spokeswoman said.

The US-Georgia joint exercise will be held about 100m from the Russian
border.
MRD