Air combat maneuvers su 27 pdf4/19/2024 The Russian military conducted an abnormal number of exercises in the months prior to the active phase of Zapad-2021, an approach that will likely become the new normal for Russia’s capstone exercises. The Kremlin leveraged Zapad-2021 to further integrate Belarusian forces into Russian-led structures and to deploy Russian forces into Belarus on a likely permanent basis, as ISW previously forecasted. Russia deployed S-300 air defense systems and Su-30 fighters to bases in Western Belarus in early September to support permanent joint training centers. Additional Russian forces, including ground forces, may remain in Belarus following Zapad-2021. The Russian military formally designated Zapad-2021 a “joint strategic exercise” with Belarus, rather than the typical unilateral “strategic command-staff exercise.” Russia’s annual exercises typically include several international participants supporting Russian forces but have never been designated fully joint exercises. The Kremlin focused Zapad-2021 on advancing efforts to integrate the Belarusian military into Russian-led structures and framed the exercise as a joint effort, unlike previous Russian capstone exercises. Many of the exercises occurred in Belarus, and forces from India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, and Sri Lanka participated in exercises at the Mulino training ground near Moscow. Zapad-2021 was additionally a multinational undertaking. These capstone exercises are in many respects highly formalized and preplanned actions rather than snap readiness checks or stress tests. The Zapad-2021 exercise involved ground, air, naval, air defense, engineering, logistics and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear defense (CBRN) units in the Western Military District, Baltic Sea, and Arctic Sea. The active phase is preceded by months of deployments and exercises preparing each participating unit for its role. Each of these annual exercises features an “active phase,” a week-long scenario simulating major combat operations. The Russian military conducts these rotating annual exercises to test the capabilities of each military district, experiment with force structure and operational concepts, and refine campaign planning. The Western Military District (WMD) hosted this year’s exercises, dubbed Zapad-2021. The Russian Armed Forces conduct strategic exercises each year in one of its four military districts (Western, Southern, Central, and Eastern) on a rotating basis. The Russian and Belarusian Armed Forces conducted the active phase of the Zapad-2021 large-scale annual military exercise from September 10-16. The exercise advanced the Kremlin's ongoing campaign to cement its control of the Belarusian military. Key Takeaway: Russia and Belarus conducted a joint strategic exercise in September 2021 that provides essential insight into the evolving capabilities of the Russian and Belarusian militaries.
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