Russia Exercises in Vostok is the biggest drills since Cold War... Together China!! It is a fist at Neocon strategy

A large-scale exercise is demonstrating the Russian growing military capabilities, with long range capacity of conflicts and standing in two or more fronts at the same time.

This maneouver is gearing to splits military preparedness drills into two separate events, every four years, in the Zapad drills in the Urals and the following year holds the Vostok, in Siberia. This year is Vostok.

There is a lot more in the exercise than just a military power demonstration.

Russia, since 1981, september, is having the biggest military exercise, during the Cold War, when there was a possibility of a nuclear devastation. The Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, announced that Vostok 2018 would involve around 300 thousand personel, including the contingent invited from China and Mongolia.

This exercise is designed to test the coordination and ability of Russian forces in context of a War against NATO, and the world scenario is going to a possibility of direct conflict, with the U.S.A. siege of Russia by Hong Kong and European ex-Soviet Republics.

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, characterized Russian policy as a response to "[t]he number of massive and wide-scale drills conducted along our borders’, arguing that ‘the military exercises of the NATO joined forces… [are] to conduct defensive and, what is crucially important, offensive operations at northern latitudes during “high-intensity” conflict with an equal enemy". 

The range purpose is much wider than just a exercise and power demonstration. It's to inflinge the Putin's influence inside and outside the country, also, after the politics of social security and pension state.

International media gave special attention to President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dimitri Peskov, that argued that the exercises were justified in the current international situation.

It was a power demonstration with preliminary exercises of routine Russian military drills, such as an anual sub hunt near Novorossiyk, scruise missiele and torpedo drills in the Sea of Okhotsk, and some anti-cruise missile exercises in Tajikistan. 

The strategy is to use the more obsolete equipment, showing the capability of them, and hide from the world media and the international observers the most strategic weapons and the long-range high destruction capability weapons. The important is to make a theatre on the drills, and shows the human capability of use of C2 and C4.

But some of the weapons are made for the power demonstration, like the destruction of bases and invisible missiles.

The Vostok 2018 nevertheless underscores Russia's growing military ambitions. This exercise's scale will not replicate the uncertainties fo war, nor test the full Russian military capability of logistics, command and control infraestructire. Exercises by the 1st Guards Tank Army, preparatory work by engineers for assaults over water obstacles in Abkhazia, and an array of artillery drills have emphasised close collaboration between electronic warfare, reconnaissance, engineers, armoured and artillery units operating in an offensive capacity.

Also, after the proxies in Syrua, the hide of the Russian military capability was a plan for not to show the full military technological capability of them. And, so, the Russian strategy of hide the game, and just provocate the questions on 'how great is their power' with the mass destruction wepaons the the anti-interceptive missile is an incognita for the USA and NATO still.

For several years the NATO observers are tracing the restructuring of Russian military and have a concern about the offensive doctrine and range of the Russian capabilities. But the complex of the maneouvers in Vostok 2018 appears to be an attempt fo embed the operational experiences from Syria in the preparation for either a conflict in Europe and the mobilisation for he outbreak of war in Korean Peninsula.

This exercise in 2018 has the emphasys for a close collaboration between the air and ground units as well the use of specialist units in different mix formations, skills that remotes to expeditionary warfre that is preserved by NATO. Many drills are the replication for fighting insurgents, as Russia is heavily engaged in Syria and seeking for involvement in Africa, inclusind Eritrea and Central Africa Republic.

Also, the integration to China and Mongolia, growing the involvement between both countries and their military integration with maneouver of Asian-Pacific and Korean Peninsula and promoting more close relation between them. Despise the operations, the growing ties between Moscow and Beiking. Not as just a political statement. People's Liberation Army have been restructuring their large conventional land forces from inflexible divisional formations to more agile brigade-level groups integrating air, armoured, artillery and special forces. The small units of Chine were sent to Vostok and Beijing expressed lot of interest in learn from military expertises from Russia's experience in Syria.

It's certain that Russia will increase the influences at the Asia-Pacific and Syria, the other questions is how China will interfere the influence of USA in Asian Pacific sea and the military maneouvers close to Korean Peninsula and Japan. And how is the interest of China in promote good influences in Africa and Middle East.

Read more at: https://rusi.org/commentary/russia%E2%80%99s-vostok-2018-exercise-about-lot-more-war-nato

Russia launches its biggest war games since Cold War

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45470460?ocid=socialflow_twitter

Russia's biggest military exercise since the Cold War, involving about 300,000 service personnel, is getting under way in eastern Siberia.

China is sending 3,200 troops to take part in "Vostok-2018", with many Chinese armoured vehicles and aircraft. Mongolia is also sending some units.

The last Russian exercise of similar scale was in 1981, during the Cold War. But Vostok-2018 involves more troops.

It comes at a time of heightened Nato-Russia tensions.

Relations between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) - a 29-member defence alliance dominated by the US - have worsened since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the drills were justified given "aggressive and unfriendly" attitudes towards Russia.

What will happen in the drills?

The Russian defence ministry says 36,000 tanks, armoured personnel carriers and armoured infantry vehicles will take part in Vostok-2018, from 11 to 17 September, along with more than 1,000 aircraft. Vostok is Russian for east.

The exercise will be spread across five army training grounds, four airbases and areas in the Sea of Japan, Bering Straits and Sea of Okhotsk. Up to 80 naval vessels will take part, from two Russian fleets.

The drills will not be near the disputed Kuril islands north of Japan, Russia says.

The ministry's TV channel Zvezda says three brigades of Russian paratroops will play a key role, during drills at the Tsugol military range, near Russia's borders with China and Mongolia.

A key aim is to practise the rapid deployment of thousands of troops, as well as aircraft and vehicles, from western Russia to eastern regions, across thousands of miles, TV Zvezda reports. That involves in-flight refuelling of fighter jets.

The scale of Vostok-2018 is equivalent to the forces deployed in one of the big World War Two battles.

A smaller-scale Russia-Belarus exercise was held last year.

Why is this happening now?

President Vladimir Putin has made military modernisation - including new nuclear missiles - a priority.

Russia's armed forces are reckoned to have about one million personnel in total.

A Russian senator and reserve colonel, Frants Klintsevich, said "it suited the West that our units and headquarters lacked combat skills and co-ordination, but times have changed; now we have a different attitude to combat readiness".

How and why will China be involved?

The Chinese defence ministry spoke of deepening military co-operation and "enhancing both sides' capabilities to jointly respond to various security threats", without specifying those threats.

The ministry confirmed the extent of the Chinese involvement: "3,200 troops, more than 900 pieces of military hardware as well as 30 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters".

Mongolia has not given details of its involvement.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu says Islamist extremism in Central Asia is a major threat to Russian security.

China has imposed heavy security and censorship in the mainly Muslim Xinjiang region.

Xinjiang has seen intermittent violence - followed by crackdowns - for years. China accuses Islamist militants and separatists of orchestrating the trouble.

Mr Peskov said the involvement of Chinese units in Vostok-2018 showed Russia and Beijing were co-operating in all areas.

In recent years they have deepened military co-operation and during these drills they will have a joint field headquarters.

It contrasts with the Cold War years when the USSR and China were rivals for global communist leadership and clashed on their far eastern border.

Show of strength

The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow writes:

The scale and scope of Vostok-2018 is unprecedented for modern Russia, but no surprise. The giant drill is clearly meant as a show of strength by Vladimir Putin and his military, a demonstration that - despite Western sanctions, including against the defence sector - the country remains defiant.

It's also a reminder that, while Russia is seen as a hostile and aggressive force in the West, Moscow has long seen Nato encroachment as the threat.

Hasn't Russia just held a military exercise?

Yes, in the Mediterranean - it focused on co-ordination between warships and aircraft.

Tu-160 heavy bombers also flew from Russia and practised launching cruise missiles - firepower that Russia has already used in Syria.

It was small compared with Vostok-2018, involving 26 vessels (including two submarines) and 34 aircraft. It lasted a week and ended on Saturday.

Western analysts saw it as part of Russia's operation in Syria. Russian aircraft have played a key role in support of Syrian government forces.

What has Nato said?

Spokesman Dylan White said Nato was briefed on Vostok-2018 in May and would monitor it.

He said "all nations have the right to exercise their armed forces, but it is essential that this is done in a transparent and predictable manner".

"Vostok 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."

Why is Russia-Nato tension high?

It has been increasing since Russia annexed the Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Nato has reacted with an increased deployment of forces in eastern Europe, sending 4,000 troops to member nations.

Russia says the Nato build-up is unjustified and provocative. It says the Ukrainian revolution of 2013-2014 was a coup masterminded by the West.

Russian diplomats were expelled from Nato countries after the poisoning of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, with a nerve agent in southern England in March. The UK blamed Russian military intelligence - the GRU - for the attack; Moscow denied involvement.