MOSCOW. Feb 18 (Interfax) - An exercise of Russia's strategic deterrence forces and launches of ballistic missiles due to take place on Saturday under the supervision of Russian President Vladimir Putin do not cause any concern among other countries, as they were notified of the upcoming maneuvers in advance, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
When asked by reporters whether, like foreign media reports and European politicians' statements, such exercises may also add to tensions, Peskov said, "Exercises and training launches of ballistic missiles are quite a regular training process. It is preceded by a whole series of notifications forwarded to different countries via various channels. All this is precisely regulated, and no one has any questions or concerns."
Upon being asked whether this exercise should have been postponed due to the tense international situation, Peskov said, "The thing is that a whole series of exercises is ongoing at the moment, and these are steps that are absolutely transparent and clear to specialists from other countries. Consequently, they should not cause anyone's concern."