MOSCOW, July 28 (RIA Novosti) - More than 8,000 troops are participating in strategic command-and-staff exercises in eastern Russia, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.
The exercises - Vostok-2008 - were launched on July 26 and will end on August 1 in the Siberian and Far East Military Districts, under the command of Gen. Nikolai Makarov, chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
The war games aim to improve the organization of territorial and civil defense, and the command and control of troops in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations.
The ministry said advanced computerized data processing and evaluation methods were being used during the exercises.
The Vostok-2008 exercises are part of a general plan for the preparation and training of the Russian Armed Forces.
