Minister also announces plan for a 'full-fledged' army group in Crimea

Russia's top defense official said on Wednesday that Russia will conduct long-range bomber training patrols over the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans to guarantee its military presence there in response to the current geopolitical situation.

"The plans of long-haul aviation training envisage flights along the Russian borders, over the Arctic Ocean, in the western part of the Atlantic and eastern part of the Pacific oceans," Interfax News Agency quoted Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying.

The Russian strategic air force will also maintain flights over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, he added.

His remarks came two days after NATO reported a spike in Russia's military flights over the Black, Baltic and North seas, as well as the Atlantic Ocean, pointing to simmering tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.

Shoigu said flights along the border of Russia and over the Arctic Ocean were foreseen as part of training for long-range operations, according to Tass, the Russian government's news agency.

"In the current situation, we need to secure our military presence in the western part of the Atlantic and eastern part of the Pacific oceans and the waters of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico," he added.

Shoigu said the situation near Russia's southwestern border remained uncertain. "This is largely due to the situation in Ukraine, the fueling of anti-Russian tendencies by NATO and the increase in the foreign military presence in the direct vicinity of our borders."

Russia's armed forces must be capable of guaranteeing the country's security in that region, Shoigu said, adding that Russia will create a "full-fledged and self-reliant" army group on the Crimean Peninsula.

At the Pentagon, spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said every nation had the right to operate in international waters and international airspace.

"The Russians have patrolled in the Gulf (of Mexico) in the past, and we've seen the Russian navy operate in the Gulf of Mexico. These are international waters," Warren said.

"It's important that the Russians conduct their operations safely and in accordance with international standards."

Relations between Moscow and Europe have become strained over the crisis in Ukraine. Crimea, along with the port of Sevastopol, joined Russia in mid-March, a move rejected by Kiev and Western countries

Xinhua - Reuters

(China Daily 11/14/2014 page12)