Joint strategic exercises Zapad 2017 launched on territory of Belarus and Russia.
Heads of military command agencies, commanders of associations, formations and military units received instructions from the Joint Staff of the armed forces of the Union State to carry out combat training tasks.
Six training ranges and two sites in the Vitebsk region will be involved in the exercises. The Defense Ministry stresses that the exercises are purely defensive in nature, the troops and equipment do not exceed the number limited by various treaties and agreements in the field of arms control.
About 140 tanks, 150 pieces of artillery and missile systems, more than 40 aircraft and helicopters will be involved in the exercises on the territory of our country. The openness and transparency of the exercises are emphasized once again by the huge number of accredited media and invited observers.
The openness and transparency of the exercise is highlighted by a number of accredited media The number of observers is impressive: 80 people from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Sweden and Norway are representatives of international organizations such as NATO and the OSCE. Moreover, military-diplomatic corps of foreign states have been accredited. Russian tank units will be transferred from the Moscow region to Belarus within 24 hours.
