Mongolia and the Russian Federation held joint military exercises

The Mongolian and Russian militaries completed the main phase of the joint exercises on August 26. This is the first time Mongolia has hosted exercises involving a foreign army on its territory. The maneuvers, dubbed “Selenge 2024,” were centered around the eastern city of Choibalsan, near the border with China. Weapons, including drones, MiG-29 and Su-25 warplanes, Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters, as well as Grad rocket launchers, were deployed in the main phase of the exercises, which simulated a “joint Russian-Mongolian group of troops” recapturing a settlement captured by “illegal armed groups”, according to the Russian military. The exercises followed a visit to Mongolia by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken last month, during which he praised the deepening ties between Washington and this landlocked Asian country. The exercises are also being held a few days after Mongolia’s new coalition government voted