MOSCOU, 19 novembre - RIA Novosti

La Russie envisage de renforcer sa défense antiaérienne commune avec la Biélorussie et de mettre en place des systèmes de défense analogues avec l'Arménie et le Kazakhstan, a déclaré mardi le président Vladimir Poutine lors d'une cérémonie de promotion d'officiers supérieurs.

"Nous envisageons de renforcer notre système antiaérien commun avec la Biélorussie et de lancer la formation de système régionaux similaires avec l'Arménie et le Kazakhstan", a affirmé M. Poutine. Selon lui, une telle coopération est susceptible d'améliorer le potentiel défensif de la Russie et de ses partenaires, et de renforcer la paix et la sécurité dans l'espace eurasiatique.

Après avoir rappelé le succès de l'exercice stratégique russo-biélorusse Zapad-2013, le président a annoncé la décision de créer des groupes armés régionaux intégrant des troupes arméniennes, biélorusses, kazakhes et tadjikes.

"Nous continuerons à élargir la coopération avec nos partenaires et alliés traditionnels, en premier lieu avec les pays membres de l'Organisation du Traité de sécurité collective (OTSC), de l'Organisation de coopération de Shanghai (OCS) et de la Communauté des Etats indépendants", a ajouté M. Poutine.

MOSCOW REGION, September 17 (RIA Novosti)

More than 20,000 of the Russian Interior Ministry’s internal troops have been put on alert in preparation for upcoming Russian-Belarusian drills, a senior ministry official said Tuesday.

The troops will conduct a series of territorial defense exercises in several Russian regions in preparation for the Zapad-2013 (West-2013) drills, said Deputy Interior Minister Nikolai Rogozhkin, who is also chief of the internal troops.

The missions will include counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations as well as the reinforcement of sensitive installations in emergency situations, the official added.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, supreme commander-in-chief of the nation’s armed forces, ordered a new series of snap checks of the military as well as civil services, to be conducted at the Interior Ministry’s internal troops, as well as in a number of civilian structures: the Transportation Ministry, the Energy Ministry and the Novgorod Region administration.

The Zapad-2013 two-stage strategic military drills, involving rapid-reaction units from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), will take place in Belarus and Russia from Friday to September 26.

Vyacheslav Usik, a spokesman for the Russian General Staff, said earlier that Belarus would send 10,400 servicemen to the drills, which will also involve some 60 aircraft and helicopters and up to 250 combat vehicles. Moscow and Minsk held similar large-scale military exercises in September 2009.

July this year saw unprecedented drills in the Russian Far East testing the Far East and Central Military Districts’ combat readiness. The drills involved more than 160,000 servicemen, 130 aircraft, 5,000 tanks and armored vehicles, 70 Pacific Fleet warships, five Russian armies, the Third Air Force, Air Defense Command and strategic aviation. The Defense Ministry has said that such snap inspections will be conducted regularly.

3 September 2013 army-technology.com

Belarus and Russian armies have started preparations for the forthcoming strategic army exercise, Zapad-2013, which is scheduled to be carried out at six firing ranges in Belarus and in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia.

Having discussed preparations for the exercise, the armies will now conduct reconnaissance of the areas where the drill will take place, refine the order of practical actions to be performed by the troops and agree all the aspects of support for the exercise participants, Belarusin Telegraph Agency (BelTA) reports.

Scheduled to take place from 20 to 26 September, the exercise will involve participation from around 12,900 military personnel, including over 10,000 Belarusian and 2,500 Russian soldiers.

Equipment will include approximately 350 armoured vehicles, comprising of 70 main battle tanks (MBTs), more than 50 artillery units and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), as well as more than 50 aircraft and helicopters.

Also known as West 2013, the exercise will also feature latest defence products, some of which have already been inducted into the Belarusian army's operational service, whereas others are yet to clear final tests.

Specifically, these include Belarusian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), communication means, radar solutions, navigation and radio warfare products.

While in Russia, the Belarusian contingent will be represented by 200 personnel from the 103rd independent mobile brigade.

Belarusian defence minister, Yuri Zhadobin, has earlier told the news agency that the two phase exercise confirms Belarus' policy aimed at building up the regional security and adherence to allied commitments with Russia.

''During the first phase, the united command of the regional military taskforce is supposed to plan the application of the troops, troops management during deployment, isolation of areas where illegal armed units operate, the build up of air force and air defence units for protecting major state and military installations,'' Zhadobin said.

''In the second phase, we plan to practice troops management during military operations designed to stabilise the situation for the sake of ensuring the military security of the union state.''