Nato rattled as Russia plans biggest war games in its history
The Vostok-2018 military drill will involve 300,000 Russian troops and Chinese soldiers, 36,000 military vehicles, 1,000 planes and 80 warships
Moscow — Russia is about to launch the biggest military drill in its history, involving 300,000 troops as well as Chinese soldiers, in a move Western defence bloc Nato has denounced as “exercising large-scale conflict”. The week-long deployment alongside Chinese and Mongolian armies, dubbed “Vostok-2018” (East-2018), will start in eastern Siberia on September 11. It comes at a time of escalating tension between Moscow and the West over accusations of Russian interference in western affairs and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria. The Russian army has compared the show of force to the USSR’s 1981 war games in which between 100,000 and 150,000 Warsaw Pact soldiers took part in “Zapad-81” (West-81) — the largest military exercises of the Soviet era. But defence minister Sergei Shoigu said this time would be even larger, with 300,000 soldiers, 36,000 military vehicles, 1,000 planes and 80 warships taking part in the drills. “Imagine 36,000 military vehicles moving at the same tim...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.