MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Serial-built combat strike robots were employed on a large scale for the first time in the Zapad 2021 (West 2021) strategic command and staff drills, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu said at the ministry’s enlarged board meeting on Tuesday.

"The joint Russian-Belarusian strategic exercise Zapad 2021 was a major combat training measure. Serial-built strike robotic systems were employed in combat formations on a large scale for the first time," Shoigu said.

The strategic drills demonstrated the ability of newly created multiservice force groups to effectively cope with their tasks of providing regional security, the defense chief said.

Overall, the Zapad 2021 strategic drills brought together about 200,000 troops, including 2,000-strong personnel from the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization), the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization), and other countries, Shoigu said.