Between Sept. 14 and 20, Russia will execute one of its biggest military exercises since the end of the Cold War. While some Western estimates put the number of troops taking part at up to one hundred thousand, the Russians insist these figures are exaggerated. No other exercise has been followed by Western analysts with comparable attention since 1990, though Moscow claims the drills are routine. So far, NATO’s response has been to take the Kremlin at its word, with no plans for additional deployments in the East. But this may change.
OP-ED
Andrew A. Michta: Moscow’s Zapad-17 raises the stakes for NATO
Foreign military representatives attend the briefing prior the military exercises Zapad-2017 in the Russian Defence Ministry headquarter in Moscow on August 29.
