“According to the decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces [President Vladimir Putin], a regular snap exercise begins today,” Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a briefing with top military commanders on Thursday.

“Troops in the Southern Military District, some units of the Western and Central Military Districts, as well as the Northern Fleet, the Air Force and the Airborne Troops, are to be put on full alert starting from 7.00am [local time],” the minister added.

The exercise will last until August 31, Shoigu said, ordering the deputy defense minister – who is in charge of military-to-military cooperation – to inform foreign defense attachés of the war games.

The first day is set to test the Russian military’s rapid response capabilities and combat readiness, according to officials. Army units will then move to training areas and act according to simulated scenarios.

Shoigu said the massive war games would allow the troops to be trained to “defend Russia’s interests amid emerging security threats” in the country’s west and southwest. The military districts were ordered to form “sustainable task forces” to deal with possible crisis situations within their areas of responsibility.

In addition to the military formations, the large-scale war games will involve logistics and communications units which will back up a “viable command-and-control chain” for troops on the move.

Massive snap exercises embracing large military formations all across Russia have taken place every year since 2014, and mainly focus on training personnel in how to act in a rapidly-changing combat environment, RT reported.

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