Ukraine conducts massive anti-terrorism drills

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Ukrainian border patrol troops guard

Kiev, (Asian independent) Ukraine is conducting large-scale anti-terrorist exercises across the country to practice actions aimed at protecting strategically important infrastructures and state borders, authorities said.

The press service of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Monday that the purpose of the training is to improve interdepartmental cooperation to counter possible terrorist and subversive threats, reports Xinhua news agency.

The regional divisions of the SBU, the National Police, the State Border Service, the National Guard, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Emergency Service, representatives of executive authorities and local government will take part in the trainings.

The training conditions are as close as possible to the real ones, according to the SBU.

Since last month, tensions have been escalating on the border between Ukraine and Russia.

Commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak said that Russia was building up troops near the border in the northern, eastern and southern directions.

The Russian military has deployed two armies and three airborne formations to western borders that has worried Ukraine.

Parts of the conflict-ridden Donetsk and Luhansk regions along the Russian border have been controlled by rebels supported by Moscow for nearly seven years.

According to UN estimates, more than 13,000 people have been killed in fighting since 2014.

Despite the imposition of the latest ceasefire in 2015, around 50 people have been killed since the beginning of the year alone.