The Russian President watched as 300,000 troops, 36,000 tanks and 1,000 aircraft went on manoeuvres at the Tsugol range, near the border with China.
Putin also watched a huge military parade in which Russian troops lined up alongside their Chinese and Mongolian counterparts.
All components of the troops’ combat readiness, preparedness of the management bodies, units and formations as well as the organization of their cooperation are subjected to comprehensive checks.
The government has increased military spending every year since 1998, with the exception of 2017 when it fell due to an economic crisis, in an effort to update Soviet-era systems by 2025.
Moscow insisted that only around 12,000 troops would participate, though at the time NATO believed up to 100,000 soldiers were massing for the drills. It has since walked back this claim.