In Russia, the strategic command and staff exercises (SKSHU) "Vostok-2022" began.

They will take place at nine training grounds of the Eastern Military District (VVO) and in the waters of the Sea of ​​Japan and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

The maneuvers will involve over 50,000 servicemen, more than 5,000 weapons and military equipment, including 140 aircraft, 60 warships, boats and support vessels.

In addition to military personnel, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the FSB and the FSO will be involved in the maneuvers.

On August 31, a solemn opening ceremony of the Vostok-2022 maneuvers took place at the Sergeevsky training ground in the Primorsky Territory.

Along with Russian servicemen, military contingents from 14 countries marched in parade.

According to the plan of the SKShU, they will participate in the main drawing of tactical episodes.

  • Russian servicemen at the opening ceremony of the Vostok-2022 maneuvers

  • © Russian Ministry of Defense

Speaking at the opening of the exercise, Colonel-General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, said that the participants in the maneuvers were connected not only by the need to strengthen military security near the borders, but also by friendly relations between countries.

“Exercises as part of a coalition of states help develop a common understanding of the organization of troop training, their command and interaction at the operational and tactical levels,” Yevkurov said.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, military personnel from Russia, China, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, India, Laos, Algeria, Nicaragua and Syria will work out tasks at the Sergeevsky training ground.

In defense and offensive

The maneuvers "Vostok-2022" will last until September 7.

As Colonel General Alexander Fomin, Deputy Minister of Defense, said at a briefing for foreign military attachés on August 29, first of all, the maneuvers are aimed at improving the skills of command personnel in managing "interspecific and coalition groupings of troops" in repelling aggression in the eastern direction.

Also, during the maneuvers, the level of training of military command and control bodies in organizing the actions of heterogeneous groups and the navies of different states in the Far Eastern maritime zone will be checked.

“The priority direction in developing the concept of the exercise was the phased study of options for the actions of troops (forces) in the interests of ensuring the military security of the Russian Federation and its allies in the area of ​​​​responsibility of the Eastern Military District,” Fomin said.

The colonel-general emphasized that the Vostok-2022 exercise is not directed "against any specific states or military alliances and is purely defensive in nature."

The exercise will be held in two stages.

At the first stage - lasting three days - the military command and control bodies must work out a plan for the use of troops, inflict fire damage on the enemy, and carry out defensive and offensive operations in the coastal direction.

In the following days, according to the legend of the exercise, a strategic operation will be carried out with the aim of defeating the enemy's land, air and sea groups.

“Formations and military units at the training grounds of the Eastern Military District will improve field, sea, air training with practical development of issues of conducting both defensive, in separate directions, and offensive operations,” Fomin added.

  • Helicopter landings during previous Vostok maneuvers

  • RIA News

  • © Alexey Maishev

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that foreign media began to disseminate false information about the conduct of "some kind of mobilization measures" under the pretext of organizing the Vostok-2022 exercises.

The department again reminded that only a part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is involved in the hostilities in Ukraine, "the number of which is quite sufficient to fulfill all the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief."

The Ministry of Defense emphasized that since the beginning of the special operation, not a single planned event of operational and combat training, as well as military-technical and international cooperation, has been canceled.

With foreign participation

The previous strategic exercise took place in eastern Russia four years ago.

Vostok-2018 has become the largest combat training event in the history of the Russian army since 1981.

297 thousand people, 1 thousand aircraft, up to 36 thousand tanks and armored vehicles took part in that exercise.

The main feature of the Vostok-2018 exercise was the transfer of troops over long distances and their deployment in unfamiliar terrain.

The main conventional theater of operations in 2018 was the Tsugol training ground in Buryatia, where Russian military personnel performed tasks together with their Chinese counterparts.

Vostok 2022 will be less ambitious.

As mentioned above, the exercise will be held with the participation of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) and the troops of other countries friendly to Russia.

Interaction between the RF Armed Forces and the PLA will be carried out not only on land, but also at sea.

According to the legend of the exercise, the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Federation and the Chinese Navy should work out the defense of sea lanes and support the operations of allied ground groups.

The West has already expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that units of other states will participate in the maneuvers.

On August 30, during a conversation with reporters, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that Washington is concerned about military cooperation with the Russian Federation, which is carried out by any country.

“The United States has concerns about military exercises with Russia by any country while Russia is waging an unprovoked, brutal war against Ukraine,” Jean-Pierre said.

Also among the unfriendly countries, Japan expressed concern about the Vostok-2022 exercise.

In Tokyo, they protested due to the inclusion in the maneuver zone of the four South Kuril Islands, which they consider to be illegally seized there.

Tokyo demanded that Russia not conduct military actions in these territories.

To date, Moscow has not responded to the protest of the Japanese side. 

  • Chinese tanks on the maneuvers "Vostok-2018"

  • © Russian Ministry of Defense

They responded to the participation in the maneuvers of the Armed Forces of China and other countries and in the public space of Germany.

So, at the end of August, the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel published an article in which, citing experts, it is said that the US and EU authorities are concerned about the growing military cooperation between the Russian Federation and China.

On August 30, the German TV channel Das Erste also drew attention to the strengthening of military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing and the fact that military personnel of other countries participated in the Vostok-2022 maneuvers.

According to the TV channel, by conducting the maneuvers against the backdrop of a special operation, the Russian Federation intends to demonstrate military power and close cooperation with foreign partners.

"Responding to external military threats"

In an interview with RT, Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, noted that a large number of states sent their contingents to the maneuvers in order to learn from the experience gained by the Russian Federation during the special operation.

“First of all, Vostok-2022 demonstrates the readiness of the CSTO and SCO countries to collectively respond to external military threats.

Joint exercises always bring people together and contribute to the strengthening of military-technical cooperation.

In addition, our partners are probably interested in the tactics that our armed forces use in the course of real combat operations, ”Mikhailov said.

According to the expert, the United States and its allies have reason to be concerned because of the large number of countries participating in the maneuvers.

According to Mikhailov, following the results of the exercise, Moscow may receive new contracts for the supply of weapons that were successfully used in the NWO.

“As you know, Washington strongly opposes Russian arms exports.

However, the successful combat use of weapons always increases interest in them.

With a high probability, some of the samples that will be used in the Vostok exercise, our partners, including China, will want to purchase, ”Mikhailov argues.

  • Ceremonial calculation of Russian and Chinese military personnel on the maneuvers "Vostok"

  • © Russian Ministry of Defense

In a RT commentary, military expert Ivan Konovalov called the maneuvers "a message to those forces that want to rock the situation in the Asia-Pacific Region" (APR).

Vostok 2022 is a planned exercise, but it takes place against the background of constant visits by US officials to Taiwan, which irritates Beijing beyond measure.

By participating in the exercise with Russia, Beijing demonstrates to the United States that it is a de facto ally of our country and is ready to jointly repel threats in the Asia-Pacific region, ”says Konovalov.

Along with great international significance, according to the expert, Vostok-2022 is also important for increasing the combat readiness of the troops of the Eastern Military District.

“Let me remind you that the VVO units stationed in Belarus and the western regions of Russia took a direct part in the initial phase of the special operation.

Now it is important to transfer this experience to other divisions of the district.

The exercise itself is not as large-scale as in 2018, and therefore does not divert the resources involved in the special operation, ”concluded Konovalov.