Contents tagged with Zapad 2017
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Ukraine: Russia only partially opened Zapad-2017 military exercises to observers
Observers from Ukraine assessed the joint Russian-Belarusian exercise Zapad-2017 as "partially open." This was reported by the press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces or Ukraine.
According to the Staff, part of Zapad-2017 where international observers were allowed was not sufficiently open. "They did not allow representatives of the invited countries to make sure that the declared objectives of the exercises corresponded to the current norms and methods of the usage of troops," …
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Lithuanian Ministry of Defense accuses Russia of 'simulating an attack' on Baltic states
The head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, Raimundas Karoblis, said that during the Belarusian-Russian Zapad-2017 tactical exercises, Russia worked on the scenarios for an attack on the Baltic States, reported Lithuanian newspaper Respublika.
“The fact that Russia simulated an attack on all the Baltic countries is important,” Karoblis stressed. He noted that during the exercises there were obvious decisions made of a tactical and strategic nature, and there was actual bombing near the …
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Latvia: During Zapad-2017 exercises Russia rehearsed a blockade of the Baltics
The Ministry of Defense of Latvia has not yet released an official assessment of the Russia-Belarus joint exercises but Latvian Minister of Defense Raimonds Bergmanis informed Delfi news agency that many facts point to the Baltic blockade scenario being worked out already.
Zapad 2017 officially ended on September 20. Although the active phase of the exercises is over, the Russian armed forces activities will continue, Bergmanis said. He noted that much attention was drawn to the exercises and, …
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NATO: Suspicions about Russia’s Zapad-2017 exercises were justified, the scale of the drills was much bigger than declared
NATO is confident that its suspicions concerning the Zapad 2017 Russian-Belarusian exercises were justified. "It will take several weeks for a full assessment, but it is already clear that the scale and the geographic coverage of the Zapad 2017 exercise turned out to be substantially larger than those declared initially by Moscow and Minsk," as relayed by NATO spokeswoman, Oana Lungescu, to Süddeutsche Zeitung on Thursday, September 21st.
According to her, these maneuvers were held not only in …
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Turchynov: Ukraine will monitor withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus after Zapad-2017 exercises
Ukraine will monitor the withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus after the completion of the Zapad-2017 exercises.
This was stated by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov, as reported on the site of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).
“On September 21, after the completion of combat training in the Zapad-2017 exercises, Russian personnel, military equipment and weapons from the ranges located in the territory of Belarus will leave. Ukraine …
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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, …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …