Russia Plans Missile Defense System Drill Near Southern Border As North Korea Test-Fires Short-Range Rockets

With 'shocked' OSCE observers noting that the Minsk accord ceasefire is not holding in Ukraine's Shyrokyne, it appears sabre-rattling around the world is picking once again. Military exercises in Russia's Astrakhan region, conducted successful launches of the 'hypersonic' S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, repelling an "enemy" air assault. This follows another drill invloving ten aircraft including helicopters in simulated attacks by an "enemy" near the Chinese border. Meanwhile, North Korea has test-fired four short-range missiles into the sea off its west coast, in protest at US-South Korean military drills, which are currently ongoing, and a2nd drill is underway " supervised by Kim Jong-Un."

First, The Minsk Accord is not holding...

• *OSCE MEMBERS 'SHOCKED' AT DONETSK AIRPORT VISIT: BOCIURKIW
• *CEASEFIRE NOT HOLDING AT UKRAINE'S SHYROKYNE: BOCIURKIW
• *OSCE SEES WORSENING HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN EAST UKRAINE

And then... (as TASS reports),

The S-300V4 air defense missile systems that can launch hypersonic missiles...

will be involved in field firing exercises at the Kapustin Yar range in the Astrakhan region, Southern Russia, head of the tactical air defense Lieutenant General Alexander Leonov told TASS on Friday.

"Air defense specialists of the Ground Forces will conduct field firing exercise using the modern air defense missile systems Tor-M2U and S-300V4 at the Kapustin Yar range in the Astrakhan region," he said.

Russia's Eastern Military District plans to use Zastava unmanned aerial vehicles to live-stream large-scale live fire military drills involving S-300 missile systems set to take place in the Republic of Buryatia in southern Siberia.

Which followed...

Earlier this week, the Eastern Military District announced that over ten aircraft including helicopters had participated in simulated attacks by an "enemy" near the Chinese border.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced plans to conduct at least 4,000 military exercises throughout the country in 2015.
 

Which was 'coincidental' with... (as The BBC reports),

North Korea has test-fired four short-range missiles into the sea off its west coast, say South Korean military officials.

In a statement, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles had a range of about 140km (87 miles).

They were fired from Dongchang-ri in the north of the country on Friday afternoon local time, it said.

The North often conducts missile tests in protest at US-South Korean military drills, which are currently ongoing.

The US and South Korea say the annual exercises are for defence training purposes, but Pyongyang calls them a rehearsal for invasion. They are always a trigger for a surge in tensions between the two Koreas.

When the drills began in March, the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles, and on 13 March it fired seven ground-to-air missiles into the sea to coincide with the end of one part of the drill, Operation Key Resolve.

A second drill, Foal Eagle, is continuing.

A JCS spokesman said Friday's test "appeared to have been supervised by Kim Jong-Un", the AFP news agency reports.

The two Koreas are technically still at war as the 1950-53 conflict ended with a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.

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But apart from that...

Credit to Zero Hedge