MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Multinational military exercises dubbed Platinum Lion 16-3 with the participation of NATO forces started in Bulgaria on Monday, country's defense ministry said in a statement.
"Multinational joint drills 'PLATINUM LION 16-3,'… launched today on a training range "Novo Selo." It will be held on May 9-15 with the participation of some 315 soldiers," the statement reads.
It was added in the statement that among the participants there were about 90 Bulgarians, 150 US Marines, as well as 40, 25 and 11 soldiers of the British, Romanian and French armed forces respectively.
According to the ministry, the aim of the drills is to enhance the cooperation between the Bulgarian Armed Forces and their foreign partners.
NATO has been reinforcing its military presence in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea since the outbreak of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine in April 2014.
Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the Ukraine-related accusations leveled at it, warning that increased NATO activities near the country's borders could undermine regional and global stability.
