Story perspectives

Putin Oversees Center-2026 Drills With 47,000 Troops

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 10:38 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Putin inspected the final stage of the Center-2026 drills in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region.
The exercises involve more than 47,000 Russian military personnel.
About 6,000 troops from Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Mongolia and Pakistan participated at Chebarkulsky.
Delegations from 55 nations attended the drills as observers.
Russia warned NATO it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad.

History

Historical Context

After NATO launched its 78-day Operation Allied Force in March-June 1999—its first major strike without UN Security Council approval—Russia answered with the Zapad-99 drills, fielding roughly 100,000 troops alongside Belarus. That pattern of expansive exercises continues today as President Vladimir Putin directs Center-2026 in Chelyabinsk, deploying over 47,000 Russian soldiers and participants from several allied states.

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Story summary

Putin inspected the final stage of the Center-2026 drills in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region.
The exercises involve more than 47,000 Russian military personnel.
About 6,000 troops from Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Mongolia and Pakistan participated at Chebarkulsky.
Delegations from 55 nations attended the drills as observers.
Russia warned NATO it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad.

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