Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu revealed on Tuesday that the country is set to hold its biggest war games since the dark days of the Cold War. The massive three-country war game is expected to involve Mongolian and Chinese armies.
The military exercise is called Vostok-2018 or East-2018. It will take place in military districts located in central and eastern Russia. Widely expected to be a massive undertaking, the upcoming Russian war games will involve close to 300,000 troops and more than 1,000 military aircraft. Minister Shoigu added that the military exercise will also include two Russian fleet and all of the country's airborne units.
The war game will take place with the backdrop of heightened tensions between the West and Russia. The West, the United States, in particular, is highly concerned about Russia's military buildup. On the other hand, Russia is also concerned about NATO's expanding military alliance, especially on the country's western flank.
NATO publicly stated that the organization's decision to improve its military forces in Eastern Europe in response to Russia's military actions especially after Moscow's widely criticized annexation of Crimea in 2014. NATO said that the organization will monitor all developments regarding the upcoming war games between Russia, China, and Mongolia. Moreover, Russia has also invited military representatives from NATO to observe the war games. The offer is still under consideration, according to NATO.
The upcoming Russian war games will take from on Sept. 11 and is expected to close on Sept. 15. Political analysts stated that the military exercise will no doubt worry Japan. The Asian country has already voiced out its concern regarding Russia's military build-up in the Far East. A decision which Russia defended as a response to Japan's roll-out of the Aegis missile system.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is slated to attend a summit in Vladivostok at about the same time as the Russian war games. An official of the Japanese Foreign Ministry also said that the country has been paying attention to the growing cooperation between Russia and China in recent years.
The participation of China in the upcoming war games is a testament to the two countries' growing cooperation, not only economically, but also on the military aspect. Russia and China have both taken part in several joint military exercises in the past. However, none of those past exercises can match the scale of Vostok-2018.
