Russian tank units are being redeployed to Belarus from Moscow region as part of Zapad 2017 war game.
Video by Russia’s Defense Ministry
According to the legend of the exercise, there has been information about the activity of an illegal armed group in one of the Union State region.
“The command of the Western Military District alerted the independent tank brigade of the 1st guards tank army stationed in Moscow region. The tank units with weapons and equipment arrived at the rail loading point. Within 24 hours they will be redeployed to the area of the exercise on the territory of Belarus,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes the press service of Russia’s Western Military District.
In the course of the war game, the tankmen will drill the collaboration and overall support of troops, modern approaches to using armed forces in fighting against illegal armed formations and enemy penetration teams.
According to official information,12,700 troops will be engaged in the war game. Around 10,200 soldiers will be present in the territory of Belarus (over 7,000 from Belarus, 3,000 – from Russia) as well as 140 tanks. There will also be 40 aviation equipment pieces, 150 mortars and multiple rocket launchers.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry revealed its scenario in late August: ‘Veyshnoryia’, ‘Vesbaryia’ and ‘Lubeniya’ attack Belarus and Russia. The enemy is conditional, but one can easily recognize the areas plotted on the map – Poland, Lithuania, Western Belarus.
Zapad-2017 is supposed to demonstrate ‘persistence in efforts to ensure security of the two brotherly nations’. Such exercises are held in Belarus and Russia interchangeably every two years.
At the same time, Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite and a number of European politicians believe that the ‘West-2017’ demonstrates the preparation of Belarus and Russia to the war with the West. In mid April, Oleksandr Turchynov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stressed that the joint military exercise might become the preparation for an assault against Ukraine in September. In turn, Belarusian democratic circles fear that Russian troops will not come back home after the war game.
