KIEV, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The Sea Breeze 2018 international military exercises kicked off in Ukraine's southern city Odessa on Monday, the Ukrainian Navy's press service said.
Co-hosted by Ukraine and the United States, the land, naval and air drills involve more than 2,000 personnel, 30 vessels and an array of aerial vehicles from 19 countries, the navy said on its Facebook page.
According to local media reports, the theme of the drills is "Practicing a national security operation in the crisis region." They will be held during the next two weeks at Ukraine's southern cities of Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson.
For the first time ever, the exercises will be managed from the U.S. Navy's USS Mount Whitney command ship.
The Sea Breeze exercises have been held annually since 1997.
