Russia forms a new army in the southwest
The Russian Defense Ministry is creating a new combined-arms army and a 150th motorized rifle division in the south-west.
Interfax stated that the Head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, told reporters that the command of these units have been involved in the strategic Caucasus-2016 command-staff exercises.
“The commanders and staff of the future 150th division and the future command of the army that we are creating this year in the south-west direction, were involved in the Caucasus-2016 exercises,'” Gerasimov said.
He added that the army and the division had not yet been formed.
"They are still being created, but they have examined the situation and have acted in accordance with their tasks during the exercise,” he added.
Gerasimov was asked if the launch of the Topol intercontinental ballistic missile was executed as part of the Caucasus 2016 exercises, or had it only been done as part of a command and staff exercise of the Strategic Missile Forces. “I'll leave this question for you to contemplate. We could say that all of this is just a coincidence, I do not have to discuss everything,” he answered.
Russia is currently holding massive military exercises near Ukraine's borders, as well as in the occupied Crimea and Donbas.