As part of the "West-2013" exercises, a security and defense control center has been deployed in Vitebsk
September 20-26, 2013, under the leadership of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, a joint strategic exercise of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation "Zapad-2013" is being held.
On September 23, the second stage of the exercise began, within the framework of which troops (forces) are managed during military operations to stabilize the situation in the interests of ensuring the military security of the Union State. The main attention is paid to the interaction between ground forces, air forces and air defense forces, territorial troops and special operations forces.
On Belarusian training grounds, issues of conducting security measures and special actions in the border area are being practiced. Joint actions of Belarusian and Russian servicemen are carrying out duty at checkpoints, conducting ambushes and joint patrols, carrying out search operations, blocking and destroying detected sabotage and reconnaissance groups and illegal armed formations in the areas of responsibility.
Territorial troop units are ensuring the protection of important state facilities.
Tactical exercises of missile and artillery units are entering an active phase, the personnel of which will march to a new positional area, where they will conduct live firing.
During exercises on the territory of the Vitebsk region, a new system for managing territorial defense forces is being practiced. In this regard, a security and defense management center, headed by the chairman of the Security and Defense Council of the region, Major General A.N. Kosinets, and the district territorial defense headquarters of the Lepel district have been deployed.