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Zapad-2021 drills draw over 120 military representatives from 45 countries

Representaives of defense ministries of CIS countries, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and the Central Asian Regions, and also delegates from Austria, Serbia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland are present at the exercise

MULINIO PROVING GROUND /Nizhny Novgorod Region/, September 13. /TASS/. Over 120 military representatives from 45 foreign states are observing the main stage of the Zapad-2021 strategic military exercise at the Mulino Proving Ground, Nizhny Novgorod Region.

"The Zapad-2021 joint strategic military exercise of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus has sparked significant interest among foreign military envoys. The defense ministries of CIS countries, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and the Central Asian Regions are widely represented among foreign military attaches at the proving ground. Delegates from European states - Austria, Serbia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland - are also present at the exercise," Russian Ministry of Defense told journalists Monday.

The Zapad-2021 exercise is underway from September 10-16 on the training grounds of both Russia and Belarus. The event involves about 200,000 people, over 80 planes and helicopters and up to 760 vehicles. The exercise’s scenario presupposes a reaction to an escalation of the international situation and potential aggression against the Union State. Both Russia and Belarus repeatedly stated that this exercise is defensive in nature.