Russian MoD denies allegations of troops still in Belarus after wargames

All Russian soldiers who took part in the Zapad-2017 military drills have returned to their points of permanent deployment, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday. In an interview with Reuters, Ukraine’s Commander in Chief Viktor Muzhenko had alleged that Russia had withdrawn only a few units from Belarus.

“As for the units of Russian troops who took part in the joint strategic Zapad-2017 exercise, they all returned to their points of permanent deployment,” Konashenkov said, adding that Muzhenko's allegations about “hidden” Russian troops in Belarus “demonstrates the depth of the General Staff of Ukraine’s degradation, and the professional incompetence of its leader.”

The Zapad-2017 military drills took place on the territory of Russia and Belarus, and were held from September 14-20. The exercises involved about 12,700 servicemen, including up to 5,500 from Russia with the remainder coming from Belarus.