Putin arrives in Crimea to hold Security Council meeting, attend forum

At the previous meeting with the Security Council the president discussed additional security measures for infrastructure facilities in Crimea after a foiled terrorist attack on the peninsula

SEVASTOPOL, August 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Crimea to hold a meeting with the members of Russia’s Security Council and attend the Tavrida youth educational forum.

At the previous meeting with the Security Council on August 11, the president discussed additional security measures for citizens and infrastructure facilities in Crimea after foiled terrorist attacks on the peninsula earlier this month. The sides considered in detail "the scenarios of measures of anti-terrorist security on the land border, in the water area and in the airspace of Crimea," the Kremlin press service said.

Last week, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had thwarted attempted terrorist attacks in Crimea plotted by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry’s main intelligence directorate. A group of saboteurs was spotted in the small hours of August 7 near the city of Armyansk, close to the border with Ukraine. Two Russian servicemen were killed in the process of detaining the terrorists. The aborted terror attempts were designed to target Crimea’s critical infrastructure and vital facilities, the FSB said.

Putin slammed the Ukrainian special services’ attempted sabotage plot in Crimea as irrational and criminal. The real purpose was to distract public attention from Ukraine’s current domestic quagmire, he added. Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has dismissed Moscow’s accusations saying this was a provocation.

The Tavrida forum, which has been held since 2014, is attended by young composers, choreographers, architects, writers, poets, film directors and actors. This year, the forum kicked off on July 1 and will run until August 24. Some 3,000 young people aged between 18 and 30 are taking part in the event. These are young professionals from across Russia and neighboring countries. The goal of the forum is to form professional communities consisting of young cultural figures.

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