▲ Russian President Vladimir Putin inspects military drills and receives a report in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies reported on October 2, local time, that Russian President Vladimir Putin directly observed joint military exercises involving Russian and allied forces.
Putin visited Chelyabinsk in Russia's central Ural region, close to the border with Kazakhstan, where he observed the Russian military's "Center-2026" (Vostok-2026/Center-2026) military drills and the "Interaction-2026" joint exercises with allied nations, and met with the governor of Chelyabinsk.
The drills involved 47,000 troops from 41 countries, including Belarus, China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.
Addressing military attachés and staff members, Putin said, "Thank you for coming, and I hope such work will continue."
His inspection came just a day after Putin raised the possibility of using nuclear weapons on October 1 in response to potential blockades by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) against Kaliningrad, Russia's exclave.
It is seen as a show of force intended to demonstrate the military might of Russia and its allies to the West.
Putin warned the previous day that "if a direct attack is made on Russia, including Kaliningrad or other territories, the issue of using all weapons possessed by Russia will inevitably and immediately become an agenda item, and this is an inevitable outcome."
He also stated, "We are fully aware of the fact that France and the United Kingdom are also nuclear-armed states, but no country possesses weapons of destruction of the same type that Russia currently holds."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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