KYIV, July 17- Ukraine said on Friday it would conduct military exercises, which it hoped NATO partners would join, as an answer to planned Russian exercises in the Caucasus, and an insurance against any resulting escalation on its eastern borders, Reuters reported.

Defense Minister Andriy Taran told the parliament the exercises would include anti-aircraft fire and would be held at the end of September in southern Ukraine.

“This asymmetric response will show the readiness of the armed forces of Ukraine to give a worthy rebuff to any attempts by the Russian Federation to exacerbate the situation or start large-scale hostilities,” Taran said.

He said Kyiv would invite NATO countries to join the event.

Relations between Moscow and Kyiv have been tense since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine that remains active.

Clashes between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed forces have killed more than 13,000 people since 2014, despite a ceasefire agreement struck in 2015.

The developments come weeks after the U.S. has lifted geographical restrictions on the use U.S. supplied Javelin anti-tank missiles anywhere in the country and against any party, including against Russian tanks in its eastern Donbas region, as long they do so for purposes of defending themselves.

This revelation follows the Ukrainian Army's disclosure that it is preparing to send Javelin-equipped units to the front lines soon. Ukrainian authorities also recently said that they estimate Russia has at least 481 tanks of various types in Donbass, among other heavy weapons.

The missiles will still offer Ukrainian troops on the front lines a major boost in firepower. The Javelin is an extremely capable man-portable anti-tank guided missile that also has a demonstrated capability against troops behind cover and even low and slow-flying aircraft and helicopters.

The Ukrainian Army first received a batch of the missiles, also known as FGM-148s, in 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration delayed the delivery of a second tranche of them until late 2019, which developed into a major scandal and the President's impeachment.

Under previous terms of the export agreement with the U.S. government, the Ukrainian Army could only employ these missiles against Russian forces in the event of an overt invasion westward from Donbas.

It's possible that the presence of the missiles, combined with ambiguity over the limitations on the use, might serve as a deterrent to Russia employing its heavy armored forces, at least to some degree. As such, the Javelins could have an impact on the fighting without ever being fired. (rt/tv/ez)