Fears of Western media about the aggressive nature of the “West-2017” drills were not justified, it was of a purely defensive nature, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a conference call on Friday.
“The Western media frightened the most incredible scenarios of the exercise. It came to the point that some officials, including individual leaders of the states, called it a prelude to the seizure of foreign territories,” Shoigu said.
“All this lies were exposed immediately after the end of the exercise, which was of a purely defensive nature,” the minister stressed.
He noted that the preparation for the joint strategic Russian-Belarusian training was held in the conditions of “unprecedented information pressure.”
“Practical actions of the units were aimed at localizing the terrorist threat, combating bandit groups and subversive groups, protecting and defending important facilities,” Shoigu said.
He added that the “West-2017” exercise was conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Vienna Document of 2011.