Russia’s top brass to test new troop financing scheme in Zapad-2021 strategic drills

MINSK (TASS): A new scheme of financing the Russian troops in wartime will be tested for the first time in the upcoming Zapad-2021 (West-2021) Russia-Belarus joint strategic maneuvers that will run on the territory of both countries in September, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Tatiana Shevtsova said on Friday.

Present-day wars differ radically from geographical battles of the past and have a geopolitical, informational and hybrid nature, the Russian deputy defense minister emphasized during her working trip to Belarus. Therefore, Russia’s General Staff has developed documents jointly with the Finance Ministry, the National Defense Control Center, the Federal Treasury and the Russian Central Bank on the specifics of the Russian Army’s financing during wartime, she added.

“As a result, a completely new and innovative scheme has been developed for the financial provision of troops (forces) in the transition to wartime. It will allow financial agencies in wartime to ensure the continued financing of troops (forces) in various conditions, in particular, in the absence of stable communication channels and amid electric power disruptions, relying solely on the national payment system,” the deputy defense minister emphasized.

“This system is set to be tested in full for the first time during the Zapad strategic drills,” Shevtsova said.

The Zapad-2021 strategic command and staff drills that will run on September 10-16 will check the preparedness of the armed forces of both countries to defend the Russia-Belarus Union State.

The Zapad-2021 strategic maneuvers will be preceded by a set of special logistic support drills, with the troops switching to practical measures. The Zapad-2021 drills consist of scheduled maneuvers that will be held by the decision of the presidents of Russia and Belarus and are solely of a defensive nature.