Contents tagged with Russian military exercises

  • Turchynov: Russia rehearsed massive ballistic missile strike to conclude Zapad-2017 drills

    At the final stage of the Zapad 2017 military exercises, Russia rehearsed a massive nuclear missile strike, involving the forces and equipment of all three components of the nuclear triad, reported Oleksandr Turchynov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC), as cited by the NSDC press service.

    According to Turchynov, on September 20, the last day of the drills, six long-distance Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 aircraft were engaged to fly in the airspace of the Barents, …

  • Lithuanian President: Russia is rehearsing attacks on its neighbors

    The President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, speaking at the UN General Assembly, said that   Zapad-2017 joint exercises of Russia and Belarus are part of the information war and a rehearsal for a Russian attack on neighboring countries.

    "Today, the attention of the world is drawn to North Korea and other regions, but the same methods of blackmail and aggression are used in Ukraine and along NATO’s eastern border. About 100,000 Russian servicemen are taking part in Zapad-2017 exercises …

  • Turchynov: combat efficiency of Russian Zapad-2017 exercises was 'tainted by rain'

    The effectiveness of the Russian forces involved in the Zapad 2017 exercises was significantly reduced and ruined by heavy rain, said Oleksandr Turchynov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine.

    “On September 18, 2017, at the Luga 33th combined arms training ground of the Western Military District in the Leningrad province, a tactical episode of defense maneuvers and the transition to offense was demonstrated for the high-ranking political leadership of Russia …

  • Helicopter accidentally fires missile at reporters during Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2017 drills

    A video from the cabin of the Ka-52 helicopter, which accidentally shot at spectators at the Zapad 2017 exercises in the Leningrad province, has appeared online, published by the Mash telegram channel.

    The video shows the helicopter firing unguided C-8 missiles at an area with vehicles. According to 66.ru news website, there were journalists among those injured as a result.

    Bloggers from the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) have analyzed the video clip showing the effects of the helicopter …

  • Ukrainian military command: Russia tried to engage its forces from the Donbas in Zapad-2017 exercises

    Russia planned to engage forces, which are deployed on the territory of the Donbas, in the Zapad-2017 exercises, stated the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andriy Lysenko, Radio Liberty reports.

    "We can see now that they tried to engage Russian troops in the Donbas in these exercises. We received intelligence data that showed most of the armor units that should have arrived at the staging areas to perform parallel tasks within the framework of Zapad-2017 exercises simply …

  • NATO: Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2017 exercises look like a preparation for a big war

    The joint "Zapad-2017" large-scale military exercises by Russia and Belarus, which are being held from September 14 to September 20, are similar to preparations for a big war, stated the Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO, General Petr Pavel, Delfi news agency reports.

    "In general, what we see is serious preparation for a big war," he said.

    The NATO general added that "if we look at the exercises in the way that Russia represents them, there would be no disturbances. But if we look at …

  • Two Russian planes violate Lithuanian air space during Zapad-2017 exercises

    On Saturday, September 16, two Russian Il-76 military transport planes flew into Lithuanian air space, Delfi news agency reported, citing information from the Lithuanian Defense Ministry.

    It was reported that the aircraft were over Lithuanian territory for a period of two minutes. They were sent from the Russian mainland to one of the airfields in the Kaliningrad region.

    On Monday, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry registered a protest with the Russian ambassador in connection with the incident, …

  • Media: Russian-Belarussian Zapad-2107 exercises enter active phase

    The joint military Zapad-2017 exercises conducted by Russia and Belarus entered an active phase, during which a simulated attack by a potential enemy will be worked through, reports Belarusian news agency BelTA.

    The second stage of the exercises began on September 17, during which issues will be worked out regarding directing troops and conducting military operations in order to repel aggression against the countries.

    According to the agency, there are about 12,700 servicemen participating in …

  • Russia uses its newest T-27B3 tanks at Zapad 2017 military exercises

    The forces of Russia’s Western Military District (WMD) have mobilized T-72B3 tanks with the latest modifications as part of the Zapad 2017 strategic exercises. The maneuvers were the first time the tanks were tested on a large scale, the military district’s press service announced this on Sunday.

    “The Zapad 2017 joint strategic exercises were the first large-scale test for the crews of the T-72B3 tanks with the latest modifications, which became part of the armament of the Western Military …

  • Ukrainian State Border Service: Russia does not have sufficient troops in Belarus to attack Ukraine

    The troops of the Russian Federation that will be involved in the Zapad 2017 military exercises in Belarus are not enough to invade Ukraine, as stated by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Speaker Oleh Slobodyan on Pryamy TV. "I do not think that Putin is preparing to open a new front. Even if he is, the forces that they accumulated in Belarus are not sufficient for offensive actions, if we are talking about Ukraine. Although we should not forget about the Baltic countries," he said. …