— The vast Russian military exercises that ended this week showed off a muscular fighting force practicing state-on-state warfare, NATO’s deputy military commander said, in one of the first assessments of a large-scale operation that put Russia’s neighbors on nervous alert. [Russia threatens retaliatory strikes against U.S. troops and their allies in Syria]Servicemen take part in the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2017 (West-2017) at a training ground near the town of Borisov on September 20. The Russian military exercised in Central Asia. Russia’s war gaming it right now]As the exercise unfolded, the Pentagon stepped up the presence of U.S. forces in the region. Some of the Russian military capabilities seen by NATO leaders confirmed their preexisting concerns.

Source: Washington Post September 23, 2017 21:33 UTC