Russia stages war games near Georgia

MOSCOW, June 30 (UPI) -- Russia has launched a massive military exercise in the Caucasus.

Georgia has called the war games, which involve 8,500 troops, 200 tanks, 450 armored vehicles and 250 pieces of artillery, a "pure provocation." Led by Russia's top military commander, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, they are due to last until July 6, the day U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in Moscow for talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Apart from ground troops, border units, the air force and the navy are taking part in the exercise, which will span across southern and southwestern Russia. It's the biggest military operation since last year's war with Georgia over the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"The aim of the operation is to find out about the real state of the fighting and mobilization readiness of troops stationed in southwestern Russia," Andrei Bobrun, a spokesman from the Russian military, told RIA Novosti.

A unit will stage an anti-terror exercise, RIA Novosti said. It will involve the killing of insurgent groups, infiltrating their hideouts and training camps and the protection of key objects, including communication and energy infrastructure.

It comes on the heels of another exercise within Georgia that involved 1,000 troops from 14 countries, making Russia's current operation look like a tit-for-tat move. It also highlights the region's volatility. Russia blocked a renewal of a mandate for monitors from the U.N. and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Also on Monday, Russia resumed flying its Su-24 attack aircraft. Moscow had grounded them after two crashes earlier this month. Over the past 11 years, 13 Su-24 planes have crashed in Russia. One Su-24 crashed in southern Russia on June 19, two days after the same model went down in northwestern Russia. Moscow said pilot error was responsible for the earlier crash and said the latter was still being investigated.

The Su-24, a twin-engine fighter-bomber similar to the Panavia Tornado, has been in service with the Russian air force since the 1970s. The Kremlin aims to eventually replace the Su-24 with the Su-34. Medvedev, the Russian president, flew the advanced two-seat fighter-bomber in March.