14 Sep 2017 11:47

Russian troops to go back to base after Zapad 2017 drill ends in Belarus - Federation Council

MOSCOW. Sept 14 (Interfax) - All Russian servicemen deployed to Belarus for the Zapad (West) 2017 strategic exercise will go back to base as soon as the training is over, Franz Klintsevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's Defense and Security Committee, told Interfax on Thursday.

"There is no agreement to keep our servicemen in Belarus for a long time. No one is going to do that," he said.

"Believe me, you should not be worrying. We do not need you. This is just a small group of troops to represent forces and hardware," Klintsevich said, referencing certain European nations' concern about the exercise.

Zapad 2017 is an anti-terrorist drill, Klintsevich said, adding that he personally intended to watch the training.