[link to rt.com]

Russia to use Caucasus drills to prepare for international conflicts

The Ministry of Defense has started preparations for one of the biggest military exercises of the year, the "Caucasus-2012" drills.
The exercises are taking place in Southern Russia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Armenia in September 2012.
One purpose of the large-scale drills this year is to prepare the Russian military for a possible armed conflict between the US and Israel on the one side and Iran on the other.
“It would be a good demonstration of new Russian military power,” Viktor Mizin from the Institute of Strategic Assessment told RT. “We will show that Russia has undergone a revival of its military power, and is now becoming not only a major economic and political player, but also a major global military player.”