ST. PETERSBURG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 8,000 Russian troops and more than 1,000 Belarussian counterparts have completed a joint drill on Wednesday in west Russia, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The "Union Shield 2015" military exercises were conducted in Russia's western regions, focusing on coordination of the efforts to thwart armed insurgencies within Russia and Belarus, it said.
The event involved around 100 tanks and 80 aircraft, as well as naval infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, it added.
