In the middle of the Ukraine war, Russia began large-scale military maneuvers with more than 50,000 soldiers on Thursday. The nearly week-long exercise is being held in the east, thousands of miles from the fighting. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, countries such as China, India and Mongolia are also involved, as well as several ex-Soviet republics, with Belarus leading the way. In this way, Russia wants to show solidarity with other countries in times of extreme tension with the West.
According to Moscow, 5,000 military vehicles, 140 aircraft and 60 warships and other boats are to be used in the “Vostok 2022” (“East 2022”) exercise. The maneuver is to take place at military training areas in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, as well as in the Sea of Japan.
Above all, the participation of China and India in the maneuver attracted attention in the West. Relations between the world’s two most populous countries and nuclear powers have been strained since a military incident at their shared border in the Himalayas two years ago left several dead.
India’s participation is also interesting because in recent months the country has always emphasized its neutrality in the Ukraine war and has stated that it has good relations with Western countries and Russia. On the one hand, most of India’s military equipment comes from Russia, on the other hand, India is part of the Indo-Pacific security alliance Quad together with the USA, Japan and Australia. In this mixed situation, India has held back with official statements on the military exercises.
According to US intelligence, Russia cannot mobilize enough soldiers for the war in Ukraine. “The Russian military is suffering from serious shortages of troops in Ukraine,” a US intelligence official familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. The Russian Ministry of Defense tries to recruit armed forces, “among other things, by forcing wounded soldiers to go back into combat, by hiring personnel from private security companies, and by paying conscripts bonuses.”
There are credible reports that Russia “is also likely to recruit convicted criminals in exchange for pardons and financial compensation.” Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree to increase Russian troops from 1.9 million to 2.04 million soldiers.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns against expecting quick victories in the counteroffensive. Oleksy Arestovych says it is a very slow process because the aim is to avoid Ukrainian losses. “As many Ukrainians as possible must come back home,” he adds in a video published on YouTube. “There will be no quick success… quick success always means a lot of blood.”
