Six countries participate in military exercises in southern Ukraine (09/07/97)

Six countries participate in military exercises in southern Ukraine

by Yevhen Klibovytsky and Roman Woronowycz

DONUZLAV NAVAL BASE, Crimea - Surrounded by controversy and protests from Russia, troops and military vessels from six countries took part in military exercises here on August 23-31 sponsored by NATO and its Partnership for Peace program.

Ukraine, the United States, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia took part in Sea Breeze '97, a mock operation to bring humanitarian relief to the Crimean Peninsula after an earthquake in a fictitious country dubbed "the Orange Republic." The operation's goal also was to prevent riots and an uprising led by separatists managed and backed by a neighboring state. And that was the part in Crimea Russia did not like.

The original plan was to land troops to intervene in unrest being caused by an ethnic group aided by a neighboring state, a thinly veiled allusion to Crimea's ethnic Russians. The plan hit a raw nerve in Crimea and in Moscow, according to the Associated Press. In the end the landing exercises were moved off the peninsula to the Odesa region.

Moscow had protested the exercises since the day they were announced in December 1996 and refused to take part in them, even with repeated NATO invitations. Eventually, the Russian government said it would send an observer, but none ever arrived.

To appease the Russians and protesters in Crimea, the final scenario became an earthquake in the Orange Republic that has caused economic disaster. The troops were sent to guard humanitarian aid and prevent arms and drugs smugglers from causing further chaos and rioting.

The scenario was changed, but the protests continued. Crimeans and protestors bussed in from Russia held several nominal demonstrations. The unique thing about the anti-NATO protesters, many of whom were elderly and claimed they were too poor even to buy bread, was that they arrived in expensive vans and buses for the protest tour. The various rallies were led by the same people - many of whom were from Moscow - who hired locals to protest for several days.

Only one demonstration, the one held in Yevpatoria, a seaside resort town close to where the exercises in Crimea were held, could be considered large. On August 25 approximately 2,000 protesters, ranging from young Russian nationalists to old, medal-laden World War II veterans, marched 10 kilometers from a Soviet war monument near the Donuzlav base to Yevpatoria. It was organized by Ukraine's Communist Party and featured an appearance by party leader and Verkhovna Rada National Deputy Petro Symonenko, as well as Crimean Communist Party Leader Leonid Grach.

President Leonid Kuchma, commenting on the appearance of Mr. Symonenko in Crimea, said, "The conduct of the Ukrainian Communist Party leader can hardly be described as that of a normal politician and human being." According to Interfax-Ukraine, the president added, "The comrades in Moscow are simply using him. They will use him and then throw him away."

Even if most Crimeans did not care for what was going on, some saw an economic benefit to the exercises. "We have two sources of income here - tourism and the [Black Sea] Fleet. Then why get rid of it?" said Olga Ivanova, a math teacher from Yevpatoria.

In all 27 vessels took part in the weeklong exercises, including four U.S. ships and helicopters, among them the destroyer USS Spruance, and more than 5,000 troops from the six participating countries. However, two of the larger U.S. vessels, including the destroyer, never made it into the bay at Donuzlav because the channel was too shallow to allow them safe entry.

The exercises officially began on August 24, Ukrainian Independence Day, with the ceremonial landing of 100 U.S. Marines and sailors on the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine, the official pronouncement of the opening of Sea Breeze '97 by Ukraine's navy chief, Rear Admiral Mykhailo Yezhel, and a military parade featuring the Ukrainian Naval Orchestra. The rest of the day was dedicated to arm wrestling competitions and tug-of-war matches between unarmed sailors, sustained by plenty of free beer.

The sea exercises were carried out August 25 to 27 and included the Ukrainian destroyers Konstantin Olshanivsky and the fleet's flagship, the Petro Sahaidachny, along with the military vessels of the other participating countries.

On August 28 the ships and their support vessels arrived at Shyroky Lan, 80 miles north of Odesa, for the landing portion of the exercises, which included the earthquake-relief and anti-terrorist exercises. Originally these landing exercises and the military maneuvers were to take place on the Crimean peninsula, but they were moved to appease Moscow.

Commenting on the outcome of the joint operations, U.S. Naval spokesman Fred Berley said, "We got to know you closer. This is the most important thing. Now we work within the framework of the Partnership for Peace program, but who knows, maybe in the future, we will be able to work in closer cooperation."

In a nod to Russian pressure, Ukraine has agreed to joint naval exercises between the two Slavic states to be held in the fall. Those maneuvers, also slated for Crimea, are to simulate an invasion of the peninsula - this time from the sea.

| Home Page |