Putin awards Russian, Chinese and Mongolian servicemen at Vostok-2018 drills

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given awards to ten Russian, Chinese and Mongolian servicemen who performed well at the Vostok-2018 military exercises. The awarding ceremony was held at the Tsugol Range, Trans-Baikal Region, after the end of the main stage of the maneuvers and a military parade.

Four servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, four servicemen of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and two officers from the Mongolian Armed Forces received various medals from the Russian president.

Putin arrived to the Tsugol Range on Thursday, where he observed the main stage of Vostok-2018 from the command post. These maneuvers are the heaviest in the history of the Russian army, with no similar drills carried out since 1981, when the Soviet Union held drills involving about 100,000 people.

The massive Vostok-2018 exercise is being carried out from September 11 to 17 under the command of Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu on the soil and in the waters of Russia’s Far East and in the neighboring waters of the Pacific Ocean. A total of about 300,000 servicemen are taking part in them, as well as more than 1,000 planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, along with as many as 36,000 tanks, armored fighting vehicles and other cars, and up to 80 ships and support vessels.