On September 18, President Vladimir Putin personally inspected the large-scale Zapad 2017 military exercise between Russia and Belarus with the participation of nearly 13,000 soldiers and hundreds of modern military equipment.
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| President Vladimir Putin on September 18 personally went to the Luzhsky training ground in the Leningrad region to inspect the large-scale military exercise named Zapad-2017 between the Russian and Belarusian armies. Photo: TASS |
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| Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu informed President Putin about the content of the Zapad exercise. Minister Shoigu said that 95 foreign observers from 50 countries around the world also came to monitor this large-scale military exercise. Photo: Reuters |
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| Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov said that President Putin and Minister Shoigu highly appreciated the results of the exercise and the role of the Commander of the Western Military District of Russia. Photo: AFP |
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| Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Putin, in his role as Russia's Supreme Commander-in-Chief, is closely monitoring every stage of the Zapad-2017 exercise - one of Russia's largest military exercises. Photo: TASS |
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| The Zapad-2017 exercise lasted from September 14-20 at several locations in both Russia and Belarus with the participation of about 12,700 soldiers from both countries. Photo: TASS |
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| The Zapad-2017 exercise brings together a “huge” array of weapons including about 70 aircraft, 10 warships, 680 pieces of ground military equipment including 250 tanks and 200 artillery systems. Photo: Reuters |
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| Although Russia has insisted that the exercise is not aimed at NATO, General Petr Pavel, head of the NATO Military Committee, said the Kremlin's lack of transparency about the Zapad exercise could lead to "undesirable consequences." Photo: Reuters |
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| While Russia and Belarus have invited observers from other countries to demonstrate the transparency of the exercise, NATO has warned that Moscow is “preparing for a major war” by conducting military exercises in Eastern Europe. Photo: Reuters |
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| Although Russia announced that less than 13,000 soldiers participated in the Zapad exercise, General Pavel believes the actual number could be as high as 100,000 soldiers. Photo: Reuters |
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| Zapad-2017 exercise consists of two parts, of which part 1 with defense drill content ended on September 16. Photo: EPA |
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| The second phase of the exercise began on September 17, with Russian and Belarusian troops conducting simulated strikes on ground targets and on the Baltic coast. Photo: EPA |
According to Dan Tri
