Russia Holds Military Exercises in Southwest Amid Flare-Up Between Azerbaijan and Armenia

Russia Holds Military Exercises in Southwest Amid Flare-Up Between Azerbaijan and Armenia
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu waits for a meeting of the Pobeda (Victory) Organizing Committee at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 11, 2019. Pavel Golovkin/Pool via Reuters
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MOSCOW—Russia is holding military exercises to test its combat readiness amid clashes between its ally Azerbaijan and Armenian forces, Russia’s defense minister told his Azeri counterpart on Saturday.

The Defense Ministry described the exercises as a routine check of the army’s capacity to ensure security in Russia’s southwestern region.