Nikolai Surkov
Izvestia, August 30, 2016, p. 4
The Defense Ministry changes the format of notification of foreign partners about sudden checks of combat readiness of the Russian Armed Forces that have started causing apprehensions in the West lately. Henceforth, not only the basic information outlined by the so-called Vienna Document (treaty on measures of confidence and security in Europe ratified by Russia in 2011) but also additional information that should answer questions about the real goals of the conducted exercises will be sent to foreign military representatives.
DEFENSE MINISTRY CHANGED REGULATION FOR DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION ABOUT MILITARY EXERCISES
The Defense Ministry changes the format of notification of foreign partners about sudden checks of combat readiness of the Russian Armed Forces that have started causing apprehensions in the West lately. Henceforth, not only the basic information outlined by the so-called Vienna Document (treaty on measures of confidence and security in Europe ratified by Russia in 2011) but also additional information that should answer questions about the real goals of the conducted exercises will be sent to foreign military representatives.
Frantz Klintsevich, senior deputy chair of the defense and security committee of the Federation Council, announced:
– Planned exercises are insufficient for maintenance of combat readiness and sudden checks for which people cannot prepare are necessary too but such checks caused apprehensions of our foreign partners and we understand this. Therefore, it was decided to make a good will gesture: we decided to inform foreign partners about conduction of unplanned exercises in bigger detail in a unilateral way.
The new format implies organization of special briefings for military attaches, as well as provision of a package of additional information including information about the quantity of armament and military hardware used that broadens the notion about the actins taken by the Russian servicemen. The task of preparation of the new regulations was set according to results of the latest big-scale exercises of the Russian army at the beginning of summer of this year.
Klintsevich says:
– This is done for relieving of tension and increasing of transparency of military activeness. We demonstrate that there is no aggressiveness on our part and claims on the part of NATO and some Western politicians are ungrounded and are contrived.
The sudden check of combat readiness of Russian Armed Forces started on Thursday provoked critique on the part of representatives of NATO countries. Deputy Secretary General of NATO Alexander Vershbow announced that sudden exercises of Russia in the Black Sea did not contribute to establishment of confidence between Moscow and the alliance.
In June, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused Russia of misuse of paragraph 42 of the Vienna Document conducting big exercises without notification of other participants of this agreement and thus “undermines transparency and predictability” in Europe. This paragraph enables the states in case of unplanned exercises to notify neighbors about the fact and not 42 weeks in advance unlike it is stipulated by the treaty for any exercises with participation of more than 9,000 servicemen or 250 tanks.
