Putin hails Russian military's performance in Far East drills

President Vladimir Putin praised Russian armed forces for their high performance during recent large-scale exercises in the Far East, the Kremlin said Wednesday. The drills have been very coordinated with no serious errors and all tasks were fulfilled, Putin said. "The troops have demonstrated high combat capability. We may be proud of our army," Putin added. Starting from Saturday, the week-long snap drills, which involve nearly 1,000 tanks and armored fighting vehicles, 130 aircraft from a wide range of units and 70 naval ships, are the largest military exercises in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Putin personally inspected the Central and Eastern military districts' troops during the exercises on the Tsugol firing range in Transbaikal region.