Ukraine refuses to hold CIS anti-terrorist drills on its territory

Moscow – Ukraine has refused permission for the CIS Anti-Terrorist Center to hold anti-terrorist exercises on its territory, CIS Anti-Terrorist Center head Colonel-General Andrei Novikov said. "Unfortunately, Ukraine has refused to hold such exercises on its territory and instead we are holding an international conference on the prevention of nuclear terrorism in Moscow," he told reporters on Wednesday.

When asked why Ukraine had declined to hold large-scale military exercises on nuclear terrorism prevention, Novikov said: "The refusal to hold the exercises in Ukraine was given with reference to the country's constitution, which bans foreign military units from operating on its territory," he said.