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With jets zooming across the sky and dropping bombs that burst into balls of flame – this was a fireworks display with a deadly serious purpose.

The display of military might took place in Crimea on Friday as Russia showcased its ground, marine and air forces in the biggest exercises held on the strategic peninsula since its 2014 annexation from Ukraine.

The drills involved 12,500 troops, fighter jets and anti-aircraft missiles, and happened at the Opuk training range on the Black Sea coast.

The drills involved warships, aircraft and tanks, with Moscow firing its S-300 missile systems. The more advanced S-400 systems were used earlier in the Caucasus-2016 exercises that began on September 5.

Inland, on a dusty steppe, paratroopers made a mass landing while ground forces ignited a wall of fire with napalm.

‘On such a scale and with the deployment of different force groupings, such drills are being held for the first time,’ defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told journalists.

Watching the drills were Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the head of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as well as Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov.

‘This training range is the biggest on the Crimean peninsula, which allows for such exercises to be held,’ said Konashenkov, adding that it had been used by Russia before the peninsula’s annexation. source