Recent large-scale Russian military exercises are not intended to threaten or send a signal to the West or other countries, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on October 12.
“The large-scale operational and combat training measures of our Armed Forces are not signals to anyone, let alone threats. They are a necessary condition for ensuring the combat readiness of any country’s military organization,” Shoigu said at a meeting on the Caucasus 2016 drills conducted last month.