KIEV, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Part of the international military drills Sea Breeze 2019, co-hosted by Ukraine and the United States, will be held on the Danube River for the first time, Ukraine's state border service said on Wednesday.
Officials underlined that this year the river element of the drills will be introduced for the first time, the service said on its Facebook page.
According to the drill legend, the enemy will try blocking the way to the Black Sea from the Danube river. Ships and boats of the maritime guard will be tasked to convoy the civilian transport vessels across the river to the Black Sea.
"This year, we offer a wide component of the maritime guard. We've been planning to host the international drills at the Danube for two years along with our Romanian colleagues," said Oleg Kostur, maritime guard regional department chief.
"We also planned several joint training drills for the border guards with the representatives of Georgia's coast guard service," said Kostur.
The Sea Breeze 2019 military drills will begin in Ukraine's southern city of Odesa on July 1. Up to 1,750 Ukrainian servicemen, up to 1,000 Americans, and another 1,000 servicemen from other NATO member countries will participate in the drills.
The Sea Breeze drills have been held every year since 1997.
