MOSCOW – Russia is preparing to hold large-scale military exercises it says will be of a purely defensive nature, amid concerns in neighboring nations that the drills may be used as a precursor for an invasion.
Reuters: Russia gears up for major war games, neighbors watch with unease
Russian deputy Defence minister Alexander Fomin (bottom, R) and Russia's defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov (bottom, L) attend the briefing prior the military exercises Zapad-2017 in the Russian Defence Ministry headquarter in Moscow on August 29. Zapad-2017, the collective Russian and Belarus' military exercises, will start on Sept. 14.
