Nato's top military commander said Wednesday he was "very concerned" that Russia's military build-up in the annexed Crimean region could be used as a launchpad for attacks across the whole Black Sea region. US General Philip Breedlove's comments come amid fears in Kiev that Russian-backed rebels will try to grab more land in eastern Ukraine to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March. "We are very concerned with the militarisation of Crimea," Breedlove said following meetings with Ukraine's top political and military leaders in Kiev.
"The capabilities that are being installed in Crimea ... are able to exert influence over the entire Black Sea," he said, highlighting the influx of cruise missiles and surface-to-air rockets. Russia's defence ministry said Wednesday that it had deployed a batch of 14 military jets to Crimea as part of a squadron of 30 that will be stationed on the peninsula. Breedlove also repeated accusations that Russian troops were inside east Ukraine "training, equipping, giving backbone" to rebel forces, as Ukraine's military said several more columns of military hardware and troops were spotted crossing over the border from Russia on Tuesday. Moscow fiercely rejects any claims that it is involved in the fighting in east Ukraine but gives open political backing to the rebels, who now boast the heavy weaponry of a regular army.
Meanwhile, deadly clashes between government forces and the separatists rumbled on, with Ukraine's military saying two soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours. Ukraine's new government this week stated its desire to move towards Nato membership, triggering further ire from Russia which strongly opposes the expansion of Western institutions in what it considers its backyard.
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