Moscow. January 12. INTERFAX - The exercises of the Western Military District, which started on Tuesday, have nothing to do with the negotiations on security guarantees in Geneva and Brussels, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"There is no connection," Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, answering the question whether there is a connection between the exercises of the Western Military District that began the day before and the negotiations in Geneva and Brussels.
"We are talking about our units in our military districts on the territory of our country. Military construction and military exercises, maneuvers continued and will continue. This is a common practice of any armed forces," he stressed.
On January 11 of this year, the Western Military District (ZVO) announced the dispatch of about 3 thousand servicemen for firing exercises in four regions of central and southwestern Russia.
"About 3 thousand servicemen of the Guards Red Banner Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District have started combat training at combined arms training grounds in the Voronezh, Belgorod, Bryansk and Smolensk regions," the press service of the Military District reported.
"In total, about 3,000 military personnel take part in the event, about 300 units of military equipment are involved, including T-72B3 tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, as well as regular small arms," the press service of the district reported.
According to the military, servicemen of the Vistula and Yelnya motorized Rifle divisions (Belgorod and Smolensk regions) began 2022 with special tactical exercises.
It is reported that during these maneuvers, the divisions' units "will work out the combat coordination of various formations, improve their professional skills, and also master new methods and tactics of performing firing tasks in a complex environment of modern combined-arms combat."
The press service of the ZVO reported that the main emphasis on tactical exercises is made on "performing exercises of control shooting from small arms and armament of armored vehicles, organizing marches with the active influence of sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the "enemy" and the equipment of strong points."
"Each unit will complete the maneuvers by conducting a training battle with a live firing stage, during which the crews of BMP-2 armored vehicles and T-72B3 tanks will show skills of joint actions and hit targets simulating equipment and manpower of a conditional enemy at ranges up to 1.2 thousand meters," the ZVO said.
Meanwhile, the US military said the day before that they had not noticed significant changes in the size of the Russian group near Ukraine. "We have not seen significant changes in terms of troops near the border with Ukraine. There is no visible reduction of the grouping. There is still a significant grouping there - to the east, north and even south of Ukraine," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
In 2021, the United States, other NATO countries and Ukraine announced the concentration of Russian troops at the Ukrainian border.
