Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the events in Crimea have demonstrated a high level of readiness of the Russian Armed Forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the events in Crimea have demonstrated a high level of readiness of the Russian Armed Forces and he thanked the military service members stationed in the peninsula for their stamina and professionalism. "The recent events in Crimea were a serious test. They demonstrated both the completely new capabilities of our Armed Forces and the high morale of the personnel," the president said at a ceremony introducing the top officers on the occasion of new appointments and rank awarding.

The president thanked "the command and service members of the Black Sea Fleet, other units and formations based in Crimea, for their stamina and personal courage."

The supreme commander-in-chief praised "the clear and professional actions" of the Russian servicemen which "allowed [them] to avoid provocations and prevent bloodshed and ensure conditions for a peaceful and free referendum."

"Serious work must be done to modernize the military structure in Crimea," Putin said.

"We need to complete the formation of police, emergency and penitentiary, as well as security, investigative and drug-control agencies in the new constituent regions of the Federation," Putin said.

There is also a need to swiftly implement the decisions to re-open the Black Sea Higher Naval School named after Nakhimov and to create a presidential cadet school in Sevastopol, he said.


Next stage of the Russian Armed Forces training should include developing a combat group in the Arctic region, President Vladimir Putin said.

"Next is the further development of the combat personnel of our armed forces, including in the Arctic region," Putin said on Friday at a ceremony introducing the top officers on the occasion of new appointments and awarding of ranks.

Following the implementation of the 2013 state defense procurement, army and fleet equipment with modern arms and military equipment has improved, the president said.

"At the same time, the intensity and quality of forces' training have increased. The results of unscheduled inspections, including the one recently held in the Western and Central military districts, confirm this," Putin said.

"A total of over 3,000 drills of different levels were held last year," Putin said. "Another strategic drill, East 2014 - with the drilling of multiservice tactical groups and with the participation of other law enforcement structures - will be conducted this fall," Putin said.