US, Russia loudly bring military equipment to exercise near 'hot spot' Ukraine

PentagonThe nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman will participate in NATO's "Neptune Strike '22" exercise in the Mediterranean next week, the U.S. Navy announced on January 21.

According to a Pentagon spokesman, the exercise is expected to last 12 days, starting on January 24, with the aim of "demonstrating NATO's ability to coordinate the maritime strike capabilities of aircraft carrier strike groups in the alliance's deterrence and defense operations."

Although the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group will operate “under NATO control,” overall command of the exercise will rest with Vice Admiral Eugene H. Black III, commander of the US Navy’s 6th Fleet.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg "welcomed" the participation of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, calling it "a strong sign of transatlantic unity". Mr. Stoltenberg affirmed that NATO "will always do what is necessary to protect all allies".

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby affirmed that "Neptune Strike" was an operation planned since 2020 and was not related to current tensions with Russia.

However, Russia Today news site said that the "Neptune Strike" exercise did not appear on the list of upcoming NATO exercises as of the afternoon of January 21. The news site said that this was a surprise NATO exercise amid escalating tensions in the region.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that two units of the S-400 Triumph surface-to-air missile system had completed their march to the Khabarovsk Krai region in the country's Far East, and would be transported by rail to Belarus to participate in joint exercises with its neighbor.

The joint exercise is scheduled to take place in February, and is part of a test of the ability of Russia and Belarus to coordinate military actions, according to military officials from both countries. Oleg Voinov, a senior military official in Belarus, said the purpose of the exercise was to "practice the redeployment of troops and the formation of special forces in a short period of time in dangerous directions of attack, and at the same time "strengthen the state border".

The exercises come amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West. The US and its allies have accused Russia of massing around 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine, amid fears it could attack its neighbor. Russia has flatly denied the accusations, saying all military moves on its western border are purely defensive.