MOSCOW, July 19 (RIA Novosti) – About 13,000 servicemen will participate in a Russian-Belarusian joint military exercise code named Zapad 2013 (West 2013) in September, a spokesman for Russia's General Staff said Friday.
The Russian Armed Forces will contribute 2,500 troops, while Belarus will send 10,400 servicemen, said Vyacheslav Usik of the Russian General Staff’s Tactical Training Directorate.
Some 60 aircraft and helicopters and up to 250 combat vehicles will be involved on both sides, he added.
The exercise will take place in Belarus and in Russia’s Western Military District, as well as in the Barents and Baltic seas. There are no plans yet to invite NATO representatives to the exercise, Usik said.
