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Kremlin: Putin’s attendance of Zapad-2017 drills not connected with West’s concerns

Putin always attends such events as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, according to the Kremlin spokesman

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov Sergey Fadeichev/TASS

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov

© Sergey Fadeichev/TASS

MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the Zapad-2017 military drills on September 18. This trip is not connected with concerns expressed by the western countries over this drills, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The president will attend the Zapad-2017 strategic military exercises. It will be in the Leningrad Region. We’ll provide the details [later,]" he said.

Read also

Kremlin slams hype over Zapad-2017 military drills as provocative

Peskov added that Putin "will observe the exercises from the command post." "It [the trip to the exercises] is not connected [with concerns expressed by the western countries over these drills.] Putin always attends [such events] as [Supreme] Commander-in-Chief," Peskov explained, answering reporters’ questions.

The West 2017 joint strategic exercises will run from September 14 to September 20, 2017, at six ranges in Russia and Belarus. The exercises involve about 12,700 servicemen (including about 10,200 in Belarus), about 70 planes and helicopters, up to 680 military units, including around 250 tanks, and up to 200 weapons, multiple-launch rocket systems and mortars.

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Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov

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