MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. Military hardware and manpower of Russia’s Eastern and Central Military Districts and the Northern Fleet will be engaged in the Vostok-2018 (East-2018) drills in August-September next year, Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu said at a conference call on Tuesday.

"The drills Vostok-2018 will be the largest combat training event next year that will be held in August-September in Siberia and the Far East. The personnel and military hardware of the Eastern and Central Military Districts and the Northern Fleet are planned to be involved in the drills," the defense minister said.

A winter training period started in the Russian troops on December 1, Shoigu said.

"The past trainee year was very intensive. Overall, more than 8,000 combat training events were held," the defense minister noted.

"The strategic exercise Zapad-2017 (West-2017), the multi-service force tactical maneuvers of the Northern Fleet, the Airborne Troops and Special Forces with the landing of marines and live-firing, the Interaction-2017 drills with the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] Rapid Reaction Collective Forces and also some other measures within the international format," the defense minister said, enumerating major maneuvers this year.

According to the Russian defense minister, "the Armed Forces’ training has been implemented in full."