– Russia-China Launch Biggest Central Asian Military Drill, Testing Surface-To-Air Missiles (ZeroHedge, Aug 19, 2014):
More than 7,000 troops from China, Russia and four central Asia countries have gathered in Inner Mongolia for their biggest joint drills “to fight terrorists,” but as one analyst notes, “it is kind of rare to have an anti-terrorist mission which uses battle tanks.” Furthermore, as part of a drill:
*RUSSIA TESTING S-300, S-400 SYSTEMS IN ASTRAKHAN REGION: RIA
So, surface-to-air missile tests? Not very “de-escalation”-y. Perhaps this statement is a clue, “we are trying to exercise together to coordinate our troops to meet any potential eventuality.”
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