Kiev - Ukrainian Communists used their bodies to block a landings by marines and armoured vehicles participating in a NATO exercise, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday.

The incident took place in Ukraine's southern Crimea province as naval infantry units from Ukraine, Georgia, and Macedonia attempted an amphibious landing on a beach of Donuzlav lake.

Some three dozen Communist activists despite the early 5am hour were on hand on the lake's shore waving red banners, the Russian naval ensign, and the Russian tricolour.

The demonstrators placing their bodies in the vehicles' path blocked three BTR armoured personnel carriers and marine passengers from exiting the beach, for close to an hour.

During negotiations the Communists climbed onto the three vehicles, accused Georgian and Macedonian service personnel of "invading Ukraine," the Ukrainian marines of "betraying the motherland," and sang patriotic songs.

Leonid Hrach, Crimea Communist Party leader, later told reporters anti-NATO protestors "had captured three tanks."

The combat vehicles and their crews moved on after senior officers conducting the exercise arrived on the scene, and Ukrainian police threatened to use force if the protestors did not release the armoured personnel carriers.

The landing was part of annual multi-national naval and land training organised by the US and its NATO allies in the Black Sea.

The incident came less than a week after anti-NATO demonstrators attempted to block NATO warships from Odessa exiting harbour by placing themselves and rowboats across the port's exit to the open sea.

Some of the ships participating in the training, called Sea Breeze 2008, were delayed slightly before police shifted the protestors, Ukrainian naval spokesmen said.

The pro-Russia wing of Ukrainian politics is adamantly against Kiev's current efforts to put the former Soviet republic on track to joining NATO.

"We are categorically against this... we see Ukraine's future only together with brotherly Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan," Grach said in part.

Ukraine's population as a whole is lukewarm on joining the Atlantic Alliance, in part because of long-standing links with Russia, and in part because of NATO combat operations over the last decade in Kosovo, Serbia, and Afghanistan - all widely seen in Ukraine as wars of aggression.

The landing was part of annual multi-national naval and land training organised by the US and its NATO allies in the Black Sea.

Ukraine's pro-West government is keen on joining the alliance. (dpa)