MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday attended military drills in the Ural Mountains involving troops from China and several other countries.
Putin visited a firing range in the Chelyabinsk region to observe the final stage of the Center-2026 maneuvers. The exercises were combined with the Interaction-2026 drills held by members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Moscow-dominated security alliance of several former Soviet nations.
Putin said Center-2026 involved 47,000 troops training to repel an attack at 11 firing ranges and in the Caspian Sea. The drills began Monday and will run through Saturday.
About 6,000 troops from Russia and other countries took part in the final phase at Chebarkulsky, Putin said. Delegations from 55 nations attended as observers, he added.
The drills included military contingents from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as troops from China, Mongolia and Pakistan, according to Russian news reports.
During his visit, Putin inspected an array of weapons, including new jet-powered Geran drones used by the Russian military against Ukraine.
Putin’s inspection came a day after Russia warned NATO that it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad should any members of the military bloc try to cut off its western exclave from the rest of the country.
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