Goal of Russia-hosted multinational drills revealed

The main objective of the Russia-hosted international Vostok 2022 exercise is to prepare the participating nations for deploying troops in a possible regional peacekeeping operation, a top Russian general has said. The war games have involved over 50,000 servicemen, including more than 2,000 visiting troops.

A total of 15 nations are taking part in the drills, which are being held between September 1 and 7 in Russia’s Far East. The exercise includes general staff training for military commanders and maneuvers in the field for troops. Nine of the foreign participants have sent soldiers to train alongside the Russian forces.

The main goal of the high-profile event is “to create a coalition force that would plan and implement a special military operation aimed at ensuring peace and security in the region,” Major General Vladimir Omelyanovich said on Tuesday, according to a video released by Zvezda TV, the official media outlet of the Russian Defense Ministry.

Gen. Omelyanovich, who served as the head of the general staff of the coalition force, complimented all members for doing their jobs in a timely and professional manner.

“Despite quite difficult weather conditions, all military contingents taking part in the strategic exercise acted laudably and completed their tasks in full,” the senior official told journalists against the backdrop of a downpour of cold rain.

Vostok 2022 is part of a series of exercises that the Russian military stages each year in various parts of the country.

This year’s event involved a large number of foreign participants. The guest list included Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria, Myanmar, and Tajikistan. Myanmar was added to the list after the exercise was launched last week.