World
11:34, 19-Sep-2017
Putin observes Zapad-2017 joint military exercises with Belarus
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Russian President Vladimir Putin observes the joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus at the Luzhsky training ground in the Leningrad region near Saint Petersburg, about 100 kilometers east of the Estonian border.
The large-scale joint military exercise that has spooked western countries has entered its final phase, with helicopters, fighter jets, missiles and tanks employed at a firing range close to Russia’s border with the EU.
Putin’s inspection of the drills comes amid deteriorating relations between Russia and the West as the two have repeatedly criticized each other for increased military activity around the Baltic region after a conflict erupted in Ukraine three years ago.
NATO has questioned Russia’s real intentions behind holding the Zapad-2017 and has accused Moscow of hiding the exact number of troops involved in the drills. Members of the Western military alliance, including Estonia and Poland, say up to 100,000 troops could be deployed in the drills.
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Source(s): AFP