Beijing issued a veiled threat to US President Donald Trump as Russia teamed up with China to launch its largest every military drills, with 300,000 Russian troops taking part along with Chinese soldiers in a massive show of force that has rattled the West.
The week-long war games dubbed 'Vostok-2018' (East-2018), 'have kicked off' in far eastern Russia and on the Pacific Ocean, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
It broadcast images on Tuesday of military trucks being transported on trains, columns of tanks, armoured vehicles and warships on the move, ships getting into position and combat helicopters and fighter aircraft taking off.
The ministry said this activity was part of the first stage of the exercise, which runs until September 17, and it involved deploying additional forces to Russia's far east and a naval build-up involving its Northern and Pacific fleets.
The main aim was to check the military's readiness to move troops large distances, to test how closely infantry and naval forces cooperated, and to perfect command and control procedures. Later stages will involve rehearsals of both defensive and offensive scenarios.
The defence ministry said the largest military drills since the end of the Cold War will involve about 36,000 tanks and 300,000 troops at sea and on the ground. China is sending 3,200 troops to take part in the exercises later this week.
They coincide with talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an economic forum in Vladivostok in Russia's far east on Tuesday.
Hundreds of thousands of troops including Chinese soldiers are taking part in Russia's largest every military drills. Pictured, Russian armored personnel carriers roll during the military exercises in the Chita region, eastern Siberia
The week-long war games dubbed 'Vostok-2018' (East-2018), kicked off in far eastern Russia. Pictured, a military aircraft getting into position on Tuesday
Drone footage captured a Russian fleet being loaded with a missile ahead of the war games dubbed 'Vostok-2018'
Putin is expected to attend Vostok-2018 after hosting the economic forum in Vladivostok where Xi is one of the prominent guests.
There, Putin told Xi that Moscow and Beijing's relations were based on trust in areas ranging from politics to security and defence.
He made the comments ahead of talks with his Chinese counterpart which are being held on the sidelines of an economic forum in the city of Vladivostok in Russia's far east.
Putin praised Russia's increasingly close ties with China, saying: 'We have trustworthy ties in political, security and defence spheres.' Xi for his part said the two countries' 'friendship is getting stronger all the time.'
At a news conference following the talks, Xi declared that Russia and China should work together to oppose protectionism and what he called unilateral approaches to international problems.
Xi, whose country is locked in an escalating trade showdown with the United States, did not mention Washington - but said an increasingly unpredictable geopolitical climate made partnership between Russia and China even more important.
The war games are being held a year after Russia staged major drills in the country's west, unnerving neighbouring former Soviet republics.
Meanwhile, NATO and European governments are eyeing the exercises closely, watching to see what they reveal about military co-operation between Russia and China, and their mounting military might.
The drills have been condemned by NATO as a rehearsal for 'large-scale conflict' by NATO, which has said it will monitor the exercise closely, as will the United States which has a strong military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
A Russian soldier guards an area during the military exercises in the Chita region of eastern Siberia during the Vostok-2018 exercises in Russia
Hundreds of thousands of troops are taking part in a show of force NATO condemned as a rehearsal for 'large-scale conflict'
The defence ministry released video footage of military vehicles, planes, helicopters and ships getting into position for the initial stage of the drills
Russia's defence ministry released video footage of military vehicles, planes, helicopters and ships getting into position for the initial stage of the drills today
The main aim of the initial stages of the drills was to check the military's readiness to move troops large distances, to test how closely infantry and naval forces cooperated, and to perfect command and control procedures
The military exercises come at a time of escalating tensions between Moscow and the West over accusations of Russian interference in western affairs and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.
The Russian army has compared the show of force to the USSR's 1981 war games that saw between 100,000 and 150,000 Warsaw Pact soldiers take part in 'Zapad-81' (West-81) - the largest military exercises of the Soviet era.
But Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said these exercises are even larger, with 300,000 soldiers, 36,000 military vehicles, 1,000 planes and 80 warships taking part in the drills.
He said the games would be at an 'unprecedented scale both in territory and number of troops involved.'
'Imagine 36,000 military vehicles moving at the same time: tanks, armoured personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles - and all of this, of course, in conditions as close to a combat situation as possible,' Shoigu said.
The Russian army is rolling out all of its latest additions for the event, including missiles that can carry nuclear warheads
Several frigates equipped with Kalibr missiles that have been used in Syria during the games are seen in Russian waters on Tuesday
Russia's defence ministry released video footage of military vehicles, planes, helicopters and ships in action on Tuesday
Russian armored personnel carriers roll through the Chita region, Eastern Siberia, during the war games on Tuesday
Some 30 aircraft from the Chinese air force will also take part in the five day drills.
The Chinese claimed the vast operation was not 'directed against any third party' and would focus purely on 'defences, firepower strikes and counterattack.'
The latest in a series of massive drills ordered by Putin come at a time of escalating tensions between Moscow and the West over accusations of Russian interference in western affairs and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.
Vostok-2018 also features more than twice the number of troops in the entire British armed forces, which is just below 150,000.
China's President Xi Jinping (left) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin making bliny (Russian pancakes) during a visit to the the Far East Street exhibition on the sidelines of the 2018 Eastern Economic Forum on Tuesday
The Chinese and Russian leader donned aprons to prepare their own pancakes during the economic forum, held on Russky Island in the city of Vladivostok
China's President Xi Jinping (left) and Vladimir Putin (centre) toast with a shot of vodka at a pancakes stand on Tuesday
The Russian army is rolling out all of its latest additions for the massive military exercises including T-80 and T-90 tanks
Russian military helicopters fly, in the Chita region, Eastern Siberia, during the Vostok 2018 exercises in Russia
The Russian army's recent Su-34 and Su-35 fighter planes are also in action for what it has called its largest ever military drills
Russia's military chief of staff says the military exercises expected to be the biggest in three decades will involve nearly 300,000 troops
The drills come as Putin told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that Moscow and Beijing's relations were based on trust in areas ranging from politics to security and defence
Tanks roll during the military exercises in the Chita region, Eastern Siberia, during the Vostok 2018 exercises in Russia
Russian officials have said that 1,000 planes and 80 warships taking part in the drills as well as 36,000 military vehicles
The Russian army is rolling out all of its latest additions for the event: Iskander missiles that can carry nuclear warheads, T-80 and T-90 tanks and its recent Su-34 and Su-35 fighter planes.
At sea, the Russian fleet is deploying several frigates equipped with Kalibr missiles that have been used in Syria.
Wednesday will see games featuring anti-aircraft technology, while the main event will be on Thursday, the defence ministry told journalists covering the event in eastern Siberia.
NATO said that Vostok-2018 'demonstrates Russia's focus on exercising large-scale conflict'.
'It fits into a pattern we have seen over some time - a more assertive Russia, significantly increasing its defence budget and its military presence,' the alliance's spokesman Dylan White said in late August.
Last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's 'ability to defend itself in the current international situation which is often aggressive and unfriendly to our country is justified, essential and without alternative'.
Relations between Russia and the West declined sharply in 2014 with Moscow's annexation of Crimea and the subsequent conflict in eastern Ukraine.
According to reports, China's participation - although modest with only 3,200 men - will be a key factor at the drills
Moscow has increased the number of its large-scale military exercises in the Caucasus, the Baltic and the Arctic since relations between Russia and the West declined sharply in 2014 with Moscow's annexation of Crimea
At the same time the Kremlin has accused NATO of expanding westwards and threatening Russian national security
The Russian army is rolling out all its latest additions for the event including Iskander missiles that can carry nuclear warheads
The military exercises come at a time of escalating tensions between Moscow and the West over accusations of Russian interference in western affairs and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said 300,000 soldiers, 36,000 military vehicles, 1,000 planes and 80 warships are taking part in the drills
Shoigu added that the games would be at an 'unprecedented scale both in territory and number of troops involved
The drills, which include the Chinese and Mongolian armies, were condemned by NATO as a rehearsal for 'large-scale conflict'
Vladimir Putin's range is awesome after a major modernisation of the creaking forces he inherited from the Soviet era
The Kremlin has also accused NATO of expanding westwards and threatening Russian national security.
Moscow has increased the number of its large-scale military exercises in the Caucasus, the Baltic and the Arctic in recent years.
Russia's previous military exercise in the region, Vostok-2014, was almost half the size, with 155,000 soldiers participating.
The country's war games in Eastern Europe last year, Zapad-2017, saw 12,700 troops take part according to Moscow. Ukraine and the Baltic states said the true number was far bigger.
Russia has been preparing for the latest drills for weeks - at one point closing a road so planes could land near Khabarovsk, and firing missiles from land, surface and submarine at a target in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Moscow has increased the number of large-scale military exercises in the Caucasus, the Baltic and the Arctic in recent years
Russia's previous military exercise in the region, Vostok-2014, was almost half the size, with 155,000 soldiers participating
A Russian fighter jet prepares to take off during the military exercises in the Chita region, Eastern Siberia, on Tuesday
The war games are underway at five ranges in the east of Russia, and in the waters of the Sea of Japan, Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's 'ability to defend itself in the current international situation which is often aggressive and unfriendly to our country is justified, essential and without alternative'
General of Army Valery Gerasimov (second from left), chief of the General Staff of Russian Army, informs foreign diplomats about Vostok-2018 (East 2018), during a briefing at the Defense Ministry in Moscow on September 6
The military drills known as Vostok-2018 will run from September 11 to 17 in the Russian Far East, officials announced last week
Putin's range is awesome after a major modernisation of the creaking forces he inherited from the Soviet era.
Separately he has a large convoy in the Arctic and some 25 warships in the Mediterranean – the biggest deployment since the deployed forces in Syria three years ago.
Ahead of the games, Russian forces unleashed a devastating display involving synchronised launches from land, surface vessel and submarine hitting targets in the Sea of Okhotsk.
The live-fire exercise hit two drifting targets in the Sea of Okhotsk on Russia's Pacific coast as Putin was on a trip to Siberia.
Four different types of cruise missile were used in the attack - Vulkan, Granit, Malakhit and Onyx.
President Vladimir Putin (pictured at the Eastern Economic Forum on Tuesday) is expected to attend Vostok-2018 after hosting an economic forum in Russia's far eastern city Vladivostok
Vladimir Putin (right) greets Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) during their meeting at the Eastern Economic Forum on Tuesday
They were fired from the missile cruiser Varyag - flagship of the Pacific fleet - as well as missile corvettes Razliv and Moroz, and the Tomsk nuclear powered submarine.
They were supported by the Bastion missile system fired from land.
The distance of the targets was between 155 and 310 miles.
'All seven cruise missiles successfully hit the targets,' said a statement from Russia's eastern military district.
Earlier vehicles were halted on the Khabarovsk to Komsomolsk-on-Amur motorway to allow Su-30SM, Su-35S and MiG-31 pilots to test their landing and takeoff skills on the narrow road, according to local reports.
Military Mi-26 helicopters also swooped in to land on the highway, and an An-26 was seen touching down on the two-lane road.
Halted motorists filmed the amazing scenes as they got a grandstand view for the military exercise close to the Chinese border in the Russian Far East.
Putin is expected to attend Vostok-2018 after hosting an economic forum where his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping (left) is one of the prominent guests
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/12/russia-teams-up-with-china-to-launch-its-largest-military-drills/
Main photo article Beijing issued a veiled threat to US President Donald Trump as Russia teamed up with China to launch its largest every military drills, with 300,000 Russian troops taking part along with Chinese soldiers in a massive show of force that has rattled the West.
The week-long war games dubbed...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/11/12/5006BBBF00000578-6154181-image-a-104_1536665406302.jpg
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий