MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw vast joint military exercises with Belarus on Monday ahead of his country’s parliamentary elections later this week, as NATO member Poland voiced concern over the drills.
The sprawling “Zapad-2021” live fire exercises will run until Thursday at numerous sites in Russia and ex-Soviet Belarus, some of which are close to NATO’s borders. They have caused alarm in neighboring countries such as Ukraine. In the Arctic, Russia’s Northern fleet and air force practiced repelling an attack near its border with Norway.