Putin attends military exercises with Chinese troops

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday attended a large-scale military exercise that will include China and a number of other countries considered Russia’s friends, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to local news agencies. Peskov said that Putin met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in the Sergeyevsky Military District. The Vostok-2022 exercises started on September 1 and will last until September 7 at various points in the Far East and off the coast of eastern Russia. According to Moscow, more than 50,000 servicemen and 5,000 units of military equipment, including 140 aircraft and 60 ships, will take part in the exercises. Participating countries include a number of countries neighboring Russia, in addition to Syria, India and China. The last such exercise was held in 2018.