With its Vostok 2018 exercise, Russia sends a message that it regards the U.S. as a potential enemy and China as a potential ally. One of the aims of the drills is to check the military's readiness to move troops large distances. Some experts see the war games as a message to Washington, with which both Moscow and Beijing have strained ties. Russian military helicopters fly in the Chita region during the military exercises on Tuesday. Shoigu has said they are the biggest since a Soviet military exercise, Zapad-81 in 1981.

Source: CBC News September 11, 2018 12:00 UTC