Russian Defense Ministry to hold briefing on Vostok 2018 large-scale drills on September 6

The Russian Defense Ministry will hold a briefing on September 6 on the most significant event for the preparation of the armed forces this year – the Vostok 2018 (East 2018) maneuvers of troops and forces, the military said on Monday. Representatives of the military diplomatic corps of foreign countries accredited in Russia will be invited to the event, as well as reporters and military experts. The ministry will inform them about the goals, tasks, specifics, the forces involved, as well as the main stages of the large-scale drills. The drills, to be held with the participation of units of the armed forces of China and Mongolia, will be unprecedented both in terms of territory and the number of military command and control bodies, troops and forces involved. Foreign observers have been invited to the maneuvers in order to strengthen confidence-building measures, the defense ministry added in a statement.