WAR GAMES
Russia to hold biggest military exercise since Cold War era
Moscow — Russia is to hold its biggest military manoeuvres since the height of the Cold War next month, mobilising about 300,000 troops and including the participation of thousands of soldiers from China, defence minister Sergei Shoigu said. The Vostok-2018 exercises in Russia’s eastern and central military districts — from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific coast — from September 11 to 15 will involve almost a third of the country’s soldiers, making the exercises the largest since 1981, Shoigu said. Some 1,000 aircraft and both the Northern and Pacific fleets will be deployed. "Imagine 36,000 tanks and armoured personnel carriers all moving at the same time," the minister said. "This will all be tested under conditions as close as possible to war." Russia stoked alarm a year ago with major war games on its western flank bordering Poland and the Baltic states. Nato said those manoeuvres involved 100,000 troops — far above the 13,000 soldiers that Russian officials said took part. Nex...
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