Putin attends large Baltic Sea snap exercise

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered and attended a large tactical exercise Monday of the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet coast guard troops in the Kaliningrad region. More than 3,500 servicemen of mechanized infantry regiments and a naval infantry brigade are taking part in the drills. Officials in Lithuania and Poland said the exercises poses a direct threat to their country on top of the intervention of Russian troops in Ukraine. DEBKAfile’s military sources: Stationed in Kaliningrad are Russian K720 9 nuclear-tipped Iskander missiles (NATO codenamed SS-26 Stone). These missiles point at the US advanced radar posted in central and southern Europe, a reference to one of Putin’s conditions for continuing negotiations on Ukraine.