KIEV (Sputnik) — President Poroshenko on Friday ordered the Ukrainian military to increase the country's combat capability along the Black Sea Coast.
"The Defense Ministry and the General Staff have been ordered to put forward proposals on how to significantly strengthen Ukraine's military capability in the Kherson Region and along the entire Black Sea coast," Poroshenko said in a statement.
NATO has been increasing its military presence in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea since the outbreak of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine in April 2014, in response to what it considers Russia's aggressive foreign policy.
Earlier in February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance sought to increase its presence in the Black Sea region in order to boost intelligence acquisition.
