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Putin watches as Russia intensifies war games that have rattled West

By Andrew Osborn

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd L) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) watch the Zapad-2017 war games, held by Russian and Belarussian servicemen, at a military training ground in the Leningrad region, Russia September 18, 2017. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin observed Russia's biggest war games in years on Monday, watching as his forces successfully repelled an imaginary enemy and launched a tank-led counter offensive, part of an exercise that has rattled the West.

 

NATO officials say they are monitoring the "Zapad-2017" ("West-2017") war games with "calm and confidence", but many are unnerved about what they see as Moscow testing its ability to wage war against the West. Russia says the exercise is rehearsing a purely defensive scenario.

 

Putin, commander-in-chief of Russia's armed forces, sat in a command centre flanked by his defence minister and the chief of his General Staff, and used binoculars to peer through a cold drizzle at the simulated conflict unfolding before his eyes.

 

The Russian leader has appeared at similar events in the past, sometimes donning a military uniform, and uses them to bolster his image among Russians as a robust defender of the country's interests on the world stage. (Graphics on 'Russia's Zapad war games' - http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/RUSSIA-NATO/010050LJ1E5/ZAPAD.jpg)

 

This time, the 64-year-old president, who is widely expected to run for re-election in March, wore a dark suit and looked relaxed as the firing range in front of him, in the Leningrad region, was briefly transformed into a war zone.

 

Tracer bullets lit up the murky skyline, battle tanks churned across muddy terrain, shells exploded, helicopters fired missiles, planes roared overhead and hundreds of paratroopers and armoured vehicles were dropped from the skies.

 

The paratroopers, inserted behind the lines of their imaginary enemy, then waged war against what the defence ministry called "illegal armed formations."

 

The over-arching Zapad war games, which began on Sept. 14 and run to Sept. 20, are taking place in western Russia, Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, and Belarus, a Russian ally which borders Ukraine as well as NATO member states Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.

 

Moscow says almost 13,000 Russian and Belarussian service personnel are taking part, as well as around 70 planes and helicopters. It says almost 700 pieces of military hardware are being deployed, including almost 250 tanks, 10 ships and various artillery and rocket systems.

 

NATO officials have said they believe the exercises involve more troops than Moscow has disclosed, however, and have complained about what they say is the lack of transparency about the exercise, an allegation Russia rejects.

As part of the same drills, Russia on Monday said it had successfully test fired a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, hitting a target at a firing range in Kazakhstan about 480 km (300 miles) away.

 

Moscow says it is the West that threatens stability in eastern Europe because NATO has put a 4,000-strong multinational force in the Baltics and Poland, while the U.S. Army has deployed 600 paratroopers to the Baltics during Zapad.

 

As a precaution, the United States has also temporarily taken over guardianship of the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which lack capable air forces and air defence systems.

 

(Editing by Janet Lawrence)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-19

[mamypoko]

Come on Russia, do this sort of thing during the Winter - do what you do best!

[tonray]

non news....we do the same thing..in Europe and Asia....what's good for the goose is good for the gander as they say

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, tonray said:

non news....we do the same thing..in Europe and Asia....what's good for the goose is good for the gander as they say

But it's probably best not to do things like this:

 

https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2001_01-02/tacnucjanfeb01
 

Quote

 

Russia has reportedly moved tactical nuclear weapons to a military base in Kaliningrad, an action that would contravene its apparent pledge to keep the Baltic region nuclear-free and could violate its 1991 commitment not to deploy tactical nuclear weapons.

 

Russia conducted a series of war games in June 1999 that simulated a conventional NATO air and sea-based assault on Russia's western and central territory, reportedly beginning with attacks on Kaliningrad. Discussing the "Zapad-99" exercise at a Kremlin press conference the following month, Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev stated that "the decision to use nuclear weapons was made" after conventional defenses "proved ineffective [and the] enemy continued to push into Russia."

 

 

Edited September 19, 2017 by Scott
Edited for Fair Use

[Rancid]

4 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

But it's probably best not to do things like this:

 

https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2001_01-02/tacnucjanfeb01
 

 

According to the article they simulated being invaded by NATO, they have long stated any NATO invasion would be met with tactical nukes as they are kind of over being invaded by European countries. In the almost impossible event of the US being invaded and overwhelmed would they use tactical nukes? Add into that scenario a long history of being invaded with millions dead, what would be the response?

 

Happy to see all sides get rid of nukes as their use would probably kill all of us, however the reality remains.

[craigt3365]

9 minutes ago, Rancid said:

According to the article they simulated being invaded by NATO, they have long stated any NATO invasion would be met with tactical nukes as they are kind of over being invaded by European countries. In the almost impossible event of the US being invaded and overwhelmed would they use tactical nukes? Add into that scenario a long history of being invaded with millions dead, what would be the response?

 

Happy to see all sides get rid of nukes as their use would probably kill all of us, however the reality remains.

Simulated is the key word. Sadly, the only invading being done in Europe right now is by Russia.  Ask Georgia about that.  Or Ukraine.  Or Moldova.

 

Nukes will never go away.  Not in our lifetime.  The best we can hope for is non-proliferation.  A dirty bomb planted by some nutjob is what worries me.