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Putin and Lukashenko inspect Zapad-2013 war games

On Thursday evening, Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive at the Kaliningrad firing range Khmelevka in Russia

FIRING RANGE GUZHSKY (Belarus), September 26 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian counterpart Aleksander Lukashenko are inspecting the joint strategic war games Zapad-2013 at the Belarusian firing range Guzhsky.

The Belarusian president welcomed the Russian leader at the firing range near the observation post. The leaders of the countries shook hands, hugged each other and went to review the war games. The Belarusian president arrived at the firing range with his younger son Nikolai, 9.

The leaders of the countries are reviewing the military exercise. According to the scenario an imaginary enemy, stating the intention to settle a territorial dispute by the use of force, began the preparation to unleashing an aggression against Belarus. According to the legend of the war games, the spying has been intensified against the Union State of Russia and Belarus and additional radioelectronic warfare is being deployed along its borders. The groups of terrorists and saboteurs are being dropped to commit acts of sabotage at the life-supporting facilities and information infrastructure sites.

The Belarusian armed forces are preparing to deploy the main defensive troops to rebuff a possible aggression and carry out an anti-terrorism operation in several regions of the country. Russia has deployed its strategic military force partially and has formed the armed group on the western strategic direction.

After the air reconnaissance mission to hit the gang later the commander of the troops of the Western Operational Command ordered to deliver an air strike on the column of gunmen by two pairs of fighters Sukhoi Su-25. The air strike temporarily halted the advance of the criminals that permitted the joint military force to take the position to block and destroy imaginary terrorists.

During the war games the motorized brigade is put into action, the staff of the platoon is waging a surprise close-range fire, the airmobile reserve force is used to support the motorized platoon.

The weakened bandit force tries to escape from pursuit and even blasts a building in an imaginary countryside community. The civil defence service helps the military force to clean up the aftermath of the explosion.

The military force of the countries is drilling joint combat actions at the firing ranges Brestsky, Guzhsky and Obuz-Lesnovsky in Belarus. More than 22,000 servicemen, more than 530 armoured vehicles, including about 80 tanks, more than 50 artillery guns, about 90 warplanes and helicopters and up to ten warships of the Russian Baltic Fleet are participating in the war games. About 13,000 servicemen, 350 armoured vehicles, more than 50 artillery guns and more than 50 warplanes and helicopters are participating in the war games at the Belarusian firing ranges.

The final stage of the war games at the western Belarusian firing range Guzhsky and the Russian firing range Khmelevka in the Russian most westerly Kaliningrad region is being held on Thursday.

Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Nikolai Bordyuzha, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota, Defence Ministers of Russia, Belarus and Armenia Sergei Shoigu, Yuri Zhadobin and Seiran Oganyan, Chiefs of the General Staffs of Russia and Belarus Valery Gerasimov and Pyotr Tikhonovsky, Secretaries of the Security Councils of Armenia, Belarus and Tajikistan Artur Bagdasaryan, Leonid Maltsev adn Abdurakhim Kakhkharov are also reviewing the war games.

On Thursday evening, Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive at the Kaliningrad firing range Khmelevka to inspect the progress of the war games Zapad-2013.