Moscow. September 19. INTERFAX-AVN-The Russian-Belarusian strategic exercises "West-2021", which caused concern among a number of European countries, did not involve a specific enemy, the leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"I want to say that no specific opponent is implied. The concept of the exercise is based on the situation associated with the escalation of the conflict between the two opposing coalitions, I say again, conditional states," Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.
"All our events, including exercises, especially international exercises, are aimed at further strengthening our ties between our states, along the military and military-technical lines," Fomin said.
About 200 thousand military personnel, about 80 aircraft and helicopters, up to 760 units of military equipment, including 290 tanks, 240 guns, multiple rocket launchers and mortars, as well as up to 15 ships were involved in the Zapad-2021 exercises on September 10-15 on the territory of Russia and Belarus. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that about 2.5 thousand Russian military personnel were transferred to Belarus as part of the exercises.
On September 17, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed plans to return troops, ships, and aircraft to bases after the Zapad-2021 exercises until mid-October.
Before the exercises, the first deputy head of the main department of international military cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Yevgeny Ilyin, said that the role of the enemy in the exercises is with the conditional state "Polar Republic", which attacks the conditional "Central Federation".
It was reported that in parallel with the exercises "West-2021", the Northern Fleet conducted major maneuvers in the Arctic.
On September 16, the press service of the Northern Fleet announced the return of troops from the Arctic zone from maneuvers in which about 8 thousand military personnel, about 50 ships, 120 aircraft and helicopters participated.
