Russia announces major military exercises to be held next year

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced Friday that Russia will hold major military drills next year.

The drills, called Ocean-2024, will involve all branches of the Russian Armed Forces, Shoigu said. The military is also reportedly planning a series of exercises to prepare for the event, including joint ones with units from other countries (Shoigu did not specify which ones). In total, the minister said, there will be “about 20” of these preparatory exercises, including four within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.