NPR

Russia Prepares 300,000 Troops For Its Largest War Games In Nearly 4 Decades

The exercise known as Vostok-2018 will occur next month and involve more than 1,000 aircraft and the help of Chinese soldiers. The Kremlin says it has not mustered drills on such a scale since 1981.

Amid mounting acrimony with NATO, Russia's military has announced plans to hold its "biggest exercises since 1981." The country's defense ministry says the massive exercise next month will involve some 300,000 Russian troops, more than 1,000 aircraft and the participation of some Chinese and Mongolian military units.

The military drills known as Vostok-2018, or "East-2018," are expected to, Russian President Vladimir Putin had hailed as "the largest exercises of this kind that we have ever held."

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