Russia beefs up military on southwestern flank as NATO approaches

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has strengthened its southwestern flank as NATO builds up its military presence near its borders and next-door Ukraine remains unstable, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.

Moscow has deployed more air defense systems in the southwest and has also deployed a "self-sufficient" contingent of troops in Crimea, Shoigu told a meeting at the Defence Ministry broadcast on state television.

"Since 2013 ... we have formed four divisions, nine brigades and 22 regiments," he said. "They include two missile brigades armed with Iskander missile complexes, which has allowed to boost fire power to destroy the potential adversary."

Shoigu said "terrorist" groups were also active in the North Caucasus.

The further deployment of Russian forces around the Black Sea come amid a series of NATO and US military exercises in the region. The US is cohosting the annual Sea Breeze exercise with Ukraine in the Black Sea. The exercise hosts approximately 2,300 personnel from 13 nations.

In June, NATO held the 30,000 troop strong Anakonda-16 exercise in Poland. The exercise included personnel from more than 20 nations, including NATO and NATO partner countries. The exercise was meant to reassure Eastern European NATO member states against any possible Russian threat to the region.

Additionally, the multi-year conflict between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed rebels has once again started to heat up.

(Reuters reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov)