The active phase of the Belarusian-Russian strategic army exercise Zapad 2021 [West 2021] has begun.

  In accordance with the training schedule the exercise will take place in Belarus and Russia on 10-16 September, BelTA learned from the Zapad 2021 website.

The Zapad 2021 military exercise is a scheduled one and represents the final stage in the system of joint training of Belarusian and Russian army units in 2021. It is primarily designed to improve training levels of the troops belonging to the regional military force, which is tasked with ensuring security in the Eastern Europe region. The exercise will focus on deploying the regional military force to ensure the military security of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

“Zapad 2021 is a defensive exercise, which reaffirms Belarus’ policy in favor of stronger regional security and dedication to commitments of the union with the Russian Federation,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry noted. “The concept of the exercise is purely defensive. The concept was developed taking into account modern approaches to the deployment of forces (troops) based on the experience of recent armed conflicts, combat training events, and troops deployment forms and methods, which have been worked out by the Belarusian army and the Russian one. It will allow improving in practice the procedure for the joint use of defensive infrastructure. It will check the readiness and the ability of the regional military force to carry out designated missions.”