Despite the fighting in Ukraine, Moscow is allowing 50,000 soldiers to take part in a major exercise in the east of the country. Russia is also attempting to join forces militarily with China and India.
In the middle of the Ukraine war, Russia has started large-scale military maneuvers with more than 50,000 soldiers. The nearly week-long exercise will be held at military training areas in eastern Siberia and the Far East and in the Sea of Japan, thousands of kilometers from the fighting.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, countries such as China, India and Mongolia are also involved, as well as several ex-Soviet republics, with Belarus leading the way. In this way, Russia wants to show solidarity with other countries in times of extreme tension with the West.
According to information from Moscow, 5,000 military vehicles, 140 aircraft and 60 warships and other boats are to be used in the "Vostok 2022" exercise - in German "East 2022". The maneuver is to take place at military training areas in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, as well as in the Sea of Japan.
Above all, the participation of China and India in the maneuver attracted attention in the West. Relations between the world's two most populous countries and nuclear powers have been strained since a military incident at their shared border in the Himalayas two years ago left several dead.
India's participation is also noteworthy because the country has consistently maintained its neutrality in the Ukraine war in recent months and has stated that it has good relations with Western countries and Russia. On the one hand, most of India's military equipment comes from Russia, on the other hand, India is part of the Indo-Pacific security alliance Quad together with the USA, Japan and Australia. In this mixed situation, India has held back with official statements on the military exercises.
"Vostok" exercises also took place earlier. Almost 300,000 Russian soldiers took part in the most complex edition to date in 2018, as well as Mongolian and Chinese units.
