Human Rights Group: Russia deployed convoys of military vehicles to Crimea via Kerch
A large amount of Russian military equipment was delivered to the annexed Crimea via the Kerch ferry crossing, reported the Crimean Human Rights Group, referencing eyewitnesses. According to the organization, convoys of Russian military equipment proceeded deeper into the peninsula. It was noted that a whole railroad train loaded with military equipment was spotted on August 6 at the railway station in Kerch.
The same evening, a large convoy of Russian military vehicles left Kerch, moving through residential neighborhoods. According to human rights activists, the movement of military equipment through civilian areas poses certain threats and is prohibited by the norms of international humanitarian law. General Headquarters of Ukraine reported that Russia plans to hold drills in the very near future.
“We know that the large-scale North Caucasus 2016 drills will take place in the territory of the Southern Federal District of Russia. That is why it is quite likely that certain deployments of Russian Armed Forces and vehicles are taking place [in the Crimea], in preparation for these drills,” the spokesperson for the Ukrainian General Staff, Vladislav Seleznev, noted.