Russia's Vostok-2018 Military Drills Not Anti-NATO - Deputy Defense Minister

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published September 06, 2018 | 02:57 PM

The upcoming Vostok-2018 military exercises are not event slightly anti-NATO, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2018) The upcoming Vostok-2018 military exercises are not event slightly anti-NATO, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin said on Thursday.

The Vostok-2018 military drills, set to become the largest military exercises held by Russia in the last 37 years, are scheduled to be held from September 11 to September 17 in the eastern Russian Trans-Baikal region.

"Despite the fact that drills will be held several thousand kilometers away from the western borders of the Russian Federation, unfortunately, Western media have speculated that Russian exercises have an aggressive approach against the NATO and EU countries," Fomin told foreign military attaches, assuring that the upcoming drills, as well as the previous ones, were not even slightly "anti-NATO" or aggressive.

The official noted that 91 observers from 57 countries, NATO Military Liaison Mission and EU Delegation to Russia would attend the exercises.

"Participation was confirmed by 91 observers from 57 countries, as well as from the NATO Military Liaison Mission and the European Union Delegation to the Russian Federation," Fomin said.