The second stage of the "West" will be devoted to repelling an attack on the Union State. The tasks of the second phase of the Belarusian-Russian exercise "West-2017", which will begin on September 17, is the development of command and control in repelling aggression against the Union State, said the representative of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus Vladimir Makarov.

"Since September 17, the second phase of the exercise begins, during which the issues of command and control of troops will be worked out during the course of military operations in repelling aggression against the Union State in a rapidly changing environment, organizing interaction and all-round provision in the interests of solving the tasks set," said Makarov.

According to him, "the staffs of all levels during the phase will have to work out a wide range of tasks related to the management of troops in repelling the offensive of enemy land groups, conducting counter-diversionary struggle against subversive and reconnaissance groups of the conventional enemy and illegal armed formations, organizing interaction and comprehensive support".

"At the training grounds, military units and subdivisions of the regional grouping of troops will work out issues related to the conduct of a defensive battle, measures to ensure survivability, the replacement of concentration areas, search, blocking and destruction of illegal armed formations with the support of aviation," said the representative of the Defense Ministry. Recall, at the first stage of the exercise, priority was given to combating subversive and reconnaissance groups of the conventional enemy and illegal armed formations. Earlier, the press secretary of the President of Belarus, Natalya Eismont, stated that there had been no official invitation to come to the West-2017 exercise for Alexander Lukashenko.

Original article: In the Russian Federation and Belarus the second stage of the West exercises starts.