Russia launches Vostok 2022 military exercises in Primorsky region

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Aug 2022 23:01
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The Vostok 2022 military drills will be held September 1-7 with forces from Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria, and Tajikistan.

Representatives of Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria, and Tajikistan also delivered welcoming speeches

The grand opening of the Vostok-2022 strategic military exercises took place at the Sergeevsky training ground in Russia's Primorsky Region on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"On August 31, the opening ceremony of the Vostok-2022 strategic command post exercises [SCPE] took place at the Sergeevsky training ground in the Primorsky Region. In a solemn atmosphere, during the general construction of military contingents participating in the SCPE, the flag of the Vostok-2022 exercises was raised," the ministry told reporters.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Yunus-Bek Evkurov declared the drills open in the presence of leaders of foreign military contingents.

"These exercises ... help to develop a common understanding of the organization of troop training, their command, and interaction at the operational and tactical levels, strengthen friendship and camaraderie between our servicemen," Evkurov said during the ceremony.

Representatives of Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria, and Tajikistan also delivered welcoming speeches, after which servicemen of the countries participating in the drills marched solemnly.

The strategic Vostok-2022 military exercises will take place in Russia's Eastern Military District from September 1-7. The drills will involve members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as well as other partner states. Over 50,000 people, and more than 5,000 units of weapons and military equipment, including 140 aircraft, 60 warships, boats, and support vessels will be involved in the maneuvers.

In particular, more than 2,000 Chinese soldiers and 300 units of Chinese automotive military equipment will take part in the Vostok-2022 exercises, the Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday, citing China's command and control task force.

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Report:

Some exclusive visual of Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Strategic command and staff exercise "Vostok-2022" held in Russia #Vostok2022 pic.twitter.com/PYU3FLD1pL
— OsintTv📺 (@OsintTv) August 31, 2022

US remarks

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder on Wednesday, commenting on the Russia-led 2022 Vostok drills, said all nations have a right to conduct exercises but the United States will keep an eye on this particular one given the nature of the countries participating.

"Certainly, it is the right of all militaries and all nations that have militaries to conduct exercises… It’s certainly something that we’ll keep an eye on given the nature of those nations," Ryder said during a press briefing.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said earlier today that the US must accelerate and streamline its defense research programs in order to meet the challenges posed by evolving threats.

Hicks cited so-called threats from strategic competitors such as China, Russia, DPRK, and Iran as challenges met with innovation. For that reason, the Biden administration’s defense budget request for the coming fiscal year includes the largest-ever investment in research and development, Hicks said.

Tensions fueled by polarization

Mounting tensions between the two blocs have been on the rise due to the Russian-Ukraine war that is further exposing the West's ambitions of establishing a unipolar world.

This tension has likewise surfaced in a number of other issues, such as the Russian-Chinese Arctic Cooperation and the provoking visits of US officials to the island of Taiwan.

UK officials have also warned that China and Russia of weakening the global security architecture due to the use and development of space and cyber technologies and called for a need of reestablishing a balance of power so as to avoid uncontrolled conflict.

Russian and Chinese officials have been quick to respond to the West's criticism. Recent comments delivered by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg regarding the Sino-Russian arctic cooperation were slammed as "irresponsible" by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, calling Stoltenberg out for instigating "dangerous thinking" and exporting a Cold War mentality that would recreate bloc confrontation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also several times accused the US of irresponsible behavior and lack of remorse for misdeeds. In a letter sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Lavrov called attention to his responsibility to require the US to "behave decently" after the UNHRC attempted to suspend Russia's membership in the sub-organization per US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's request.

Lavrov also said earlier this month that attempts by the US to establish dominance in every corner of the globe are futile and reflect Washington's policy of impunity. This was made in reference to "the policy of lawlessness demonstrated by the US colleagues who are seeking to establish their dominance" on the global stage.

He also criticized the US and its allies for providing a racist division of the world through the Western-imposed "rules-based order" while highlighting that his country has been expanding and deepening "fruitful cooperation with the overwhelming majority of members of the global community who represent more than 80% of the planet’s population."