Putin visits Ural exercise with 47,000 troops, day after Kaliningrad warning
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military exercise in the Urals on Friday, a day after Moscow warned NATO over Kaliningrad.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military firing range in the Ural Mountains on Friday to observe the final stage of the "Centre-2026" exercises, in which more than 47,000 troops took part, the Associated Press reported. The manoeuvres began on Monday and were due to run until Saturday, involving forces from Russia and six other countries. Troops practised repelling attacks at 11 firing ranges across Russia and in the Caspian Sea during the drills, Putin said.
At the Chebarkul range in the Chelyabinsk region, about 6,000 troops from Russia and seven foreign countries took part in the final phase, alongside rapid-reaction units from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a Moscow-led military alliance of several former Soviet states, the Associated Press reported. Military contingents from China, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia and Pakistan joined the drills, and observer delegations from 55 countries attended.
Putin inspected weapons during his visit, including new jet-propelled Geran drones that Russian forces have used in strikes on Ukraine, the Associated Press reported. He was accompanied by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and met separately with foreign military attaches and the governor of the Chelyabinsk region, Alexei Teksler. The drills ran alongside a separate command-staff exercise, Interaction-2026, organised by the same alliance; Putin said the results, together with the experience gained by troops, would improve Russia's ability to respond to external threats to its members' security.
Putin's visit came a day after Moscow warned NATO it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad, Russia's exclave between Poland and Lithuania, if any alliance member tried to cut it off from the rest of Russia, the Associated Press reported. He repeated Moscow's position that Russia does not plan to attack European countries, but said it would respond with all available means to any attack on Russian territory. NATO has rejected the claim that it threatens Kaliningrad and said its military posture remains defensive.
What we know
- Putin visited the Chebarkul firing range in Russia's Chelyabinsk region on Friday for the final stage of the "Centre-2026" exercises
- More than 47,000 troops took part in the drills, which ran from Monday to Saturday, the Associated Press reported
- Military contingents from China, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia and Pakistan joined Russian forces, with observers from 55 countries
- The visit came a day after Moscow warned NATO it could use nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad
Why it matters for Europe
Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, sits between Poland and Lithuania, both NATO and EU members. The exercises brought together troops from China, Belarus and Central Asian states days after Moscow raised the possibility of using nuclear weapons to defend the territory, pointing to a show of military strength on Russia's western and southern borders.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- Klix.ba: Dan nakon jezivog upozorenja NATO-u: Putin na Uralu okupio hiljade vojnika i pokazao oružje koje mijenja pravila igre
- N1 BiH: Putin pokazao arsenal na Uralu: Okupio 47.000 vojnika na velikim vojnim vježbama nakon nuklearnog upozorenja NATO-u
- Slobodna Dalmacija: Ruska enklava u NATO-ovu moru: U ovom gradu leži najmračniji Putinov strah zbog kojeg opet prijeti ‘krajnjim scenarijem‘
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Questions and answers
- How many troops took part in the Centre-2026 exercises?
- More than 47,000 troops took part, including contingents from China, Belarus and other countries, the Associated Press reported.
- Why did Russia warn NATO over Kaliningrad?
- Moscow said it would use nuclear weapons to defend the exclave if NATO tried to cut it off from Russia, a day before Putin's visit to the exercises.
- What weapons did Putin inspect?
- He inspected several weapons, including new jet-propelled Geran drones used by Russian forces in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.