Putin Observes Zapad 2017 Military Exercises

Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 18 attended a joint military exercise with Belarus near NATO's eastern flank that has fanned already deep tensions between Moscow and the West. The war games are officially set to involve 12,700 troops. But Western officials have said the maneuvers could include some 100,000 personnel in what they call a Russian show of power amid the ongoing standoff with the West over Russian aggression in Ukraine. (Reuters)