Belarus and Russia start joint training

This week the Russian Defense Ministry will start preparing for
large-scale joint strategic military exercises with Belarus, scheduled
for the autumn of 2013, RIA-Novosti reports, quoting Defense Minister Sergei
Shoigu.

“Strategic command and staff drills, to be held by [Russian] military
districts this week, mark the first step in preparation for the
Zapad-2013 exercises with Belarus,” RIA-Novosti quotes Shoigu.
Russia and Belarus approved the schedule for the Zapad-2013 drills in
October last year.

The exercises will be held in response to the deployment of a
US missile shield in Europe.