MINSK, 17 September (BelTA) – All the goals that had been set have been reached, all the tasks have been properly fulfilled. Belarusian Defense Minister, Lieutenant-General Viktor Khrenin made the statement during the closing ceremony of the Belarusian-Russian strategic army exercise Zapad 2021 in the 230th combined-arms military training area Obuz-Lesnovsky on 17 September, BelTA has learned.
The participation of Kazakh military personnel was a distinguishing feature of this year's Belarusian-Russian army exercise, the defense minister said. The exercise proceeded in strict compliance with its concept. All the targets were hit and the tasks were properly fulfilled. The Zapad 2021 exercise increased the importance of military command and control bodies, increased operational compatibility of staffs of different levels and connections between advanced systems for troops control and weapons control. Commanding officers and staffs had an opportunity to practice planning the measures meant to ensure the military security of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.
According to the defense minister, the exercise demonstrated a high level of training of the army units that belong to the Belarusian-Russian regional military force. “We had an opportunity to verify the correctness of the chosen way of army development, to test provisions of the regulations developed by our armies, to determine further ways of cooperation for the sake of developing the armed forces and bolstering the defensive capability of the countries. The exercise clearly demonstrated high combat readiness and high morale of our military personnel,” he stressed.
Viktor Khrenin pointed out that the Zapad 2021 exercise took place in the sacred Belarusian land where an unbelievably large nationwide movement to resist the aggressor began during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. “We remember and take pride in the heroic deed of the generation of victors. Peoples of the Soviet Union made the decisive contribution to the enemy's downfall, to saving the entire mankind. Our fathers and forefathers stood together to defend the motherland during that war. Today we stand together to protect the independence of our countries in conditions of global instability and escalating tensions. Joint military activities, military cooperation within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, including the organization of joint exercises, make a tangible contribution to regional security,” the defense minister stated.
Viktor Khrenin drew attention to the symbolism of ending the exercise in anticipation of the celebration of People's Unity Day. “This holiday was instituted by the people of Belarus in honor of what happened on 17 September 1939 when the Red Army began a liberating campaign, which resulted in the reunification of the Belarusian nation into one state. Belarusians remember their history and it will always be so,” he is convinced.
The Belarusian defense minister thanked participants of the Belarusian-Russian strategic army exercise Zapad 2021 for accomplishing goals of the exercise, for their skills and professional mastery. He wished them every success in ensuring the security of their countries and peaceful labor of their nations.
