Zapad 2021

Zapad 2021 (Russian: Запад-2021) was a joint strategic exercise between the armed forces of the Russian Federation and Belarus, which took place from 10 to 15 September 2021. According to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, about 200,000 military personnel, up to 760 pieces of equipment, and 15 ships took part in the exercises. According to American General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, observations of Zapad 2021 helped the American intelligence community predict that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent. This was because the exercise was much greater in scale, scope, composition, and duration than previous exercises. Following the exercise, Milley held a briefing with American President Joe Biden about the severity of the Russian threat towards Ukraine. Milley held a meeting with Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, in Finland, on 22 September 2021, to de-escalate tensions in Europe.