BARANOVICHI DISTRICT, 9 September (BelTA) – An opening ceremony of the Belarusian-Russian strategic army exercise Zapad 2021 took place in the combined arms training area Obuz-Lesnovsky on 9 September, BelTA has learned.
Military personnel of the participating countries, officers of the defense ministries and the general staffs, representatives of Kazakhstan attended the ceremony.
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus, First Deputy Defense Minister Viktor Gulevich said: “New sources of threats to military security emerge alongside existing ones. Despite that Belarus together with its strategic ally – Russia – is intent on reducing confrontation in Eastern Europe by pursuing a peace-loving and open policy. We have no territorial claims to neighbors from the West. We want to live peacefully in an independent and sovereign state.” The official pointed out that the joint exercise is purely defensive. “We have an opportunity to share experience, compare notes on the chosen direction of army development, determine the degree of readiness for ensuring the security of our countries,” he added.
According to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the Zapad 2021 exercise can become kind of a combat training exam for the military personnel. “In training areas we demonstrate to anyone, who wants to encroach upon our borders, that we know how to fight and give battle. Our strength and confidence stems from it. Such exercises give an opportunity to use weapons in training instead of a real war,” he stressed.
The Belarusian-Russian strategic army exercise Zapad 2021 will include two stages. The first one will begin on 10 September. Control over subordinate units in the course of repulsing an aggression and the organization of interaction will be practiced. The second stage will focus on control over troops as the troops finish eliminating the enemy and recover lost positions. In Belarus the war games will take place in the combined arms training area Obuz-Lesnovsky, the Air Force and Air Defense training area Domanovsky, the Air Force training area Ruzhansky, and the training area Brestsky.
The Belarusian-Russian strategic army exercise Zapad 2021 is scheduled to take place in Belarus and in nine training areas in Russia on 10-16 September. The exercise represents no threat to neighboring countries. The exercise will allow improving the procedure for the joint usage of defense infrastructure, the readiness and the ability of military personnel to carry out missions.
