Russian military to hold biggest 2014 drill in country’s east

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian military will hold its biggest drill of 2014 in the country’s east, First Deputy Defense Minister Arkady Bakhin said Saturday, Nov 30, according to RIA Novosti.

The East-2014 exercise will involve several army branches, Bakhin said on Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) radio. He did not elaborate on the program or the exact time and venue for the event.

This year’s biggest drill, West-2013, took place in the Russian western exclave of Kaliningrad and the neighboring Belarus, Russia’s major European ally.

The Russian army held about 3,000 drills in 2013, including some 400 involving multiple army branches, Bakhin said. Russia has 29 international military exercises lined up for next year, he added.

Moscow announced last week plans to hold joint drills with China and Mongolia in 2014.