Russia to conduct exercises in occupied Donbas in August-September - Tymchuk

"The operational units of staffs of the first army corps of DPR and second army corps of LPR are actively preparing for a series of exercises, which the Russian Armed Forces will hold in August and September this year," he wrote.

Tymchuk said that according to the plan of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and the staff of the Russian 8th Combined Arms Army, the exercises of the Russian Armed Forces in the border areas in Russia and the same exercises in LPR/DPR would be conducted on a "single strategic and operational-tactical background."

The units and subdivisions of both "army corps" of LPR/DPR will operate in cooperation with the 8th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Armed Forces, to which they are currently subordinate, Tymchuk added.

As Ukrinform reported, the Zapad 2017 joint strategic exercises of the armed forces of Belarus and Russia will be held in mid-September. Russia plans to transfer to Belarus an unprecedented number of troops and equipment as part of these exercises.

op