ODESA, Ukraine. July 4 (Interfax-AVN) - The Cooperative Partner 2003 exercise has passed a training evacuation operation involving employees of foreign embassies and some foreign businessmen living in Ukraine.
The shore-based operation began Wednesday. It involved 83 representatives of 10 foreign embassies and foreign businessmen "saved" together with civil-dressed Ukrainian military.
The "refugees" were sealifted by Ukrainian, Dutch, Romanian, German, and Turkish warships.
On Friday between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. local time (0300 to 0400 GMT) an anti-extremist landing mission involving a Ukrainian nada Greek landing craft was successfully performed by Ukrainian and Turkish marines.
The exercise which will end Saturday involves about 5,000 personnel, 43 ships and vessels, and 20 aircraft of 11 countries.