Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the visit. The exercises are linked to the Interaction-2026 maneuvers held within the Collective Security Treaty Organization framework.
Putin said more than 47,000 military personnel are taking part. Peskov said the drills are routine and not connected to "challenges at Russia's borders."
Putin named repelling external aggression as the main goal of the maneuvers. According to him, the tasks are being carried out "taking into account the experience of the SMO," with new weapons and equipment in use.
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov specified that the forces involved include troops of the Central Military District, the Caspian Flotilla, airborne units and Aerospace Forces aviation. Practical actions are deployed at 11 training grounds and in the waters of the Caspian Sea.
The Defense Ministry said Caspian Flotilla ships "shot up" vessels of a simulated enemy with missiles during the drills. The ministry also said that issues of localizing a border conflict and creating buffer zones are being practiced.
Alongside Russian troops, representatives of Belarus, China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan and Tajikistan are taking part. Kazakhstan and Congo are represented by operational groups, and another 33 states have sent observers. At the training ground, Putin was shown examples of Geran jet-powered drones.
From 00:00 on October 2 to 00:00 on October 5, traffic was closed on all federal highways in the Chelyabinsk region. Rosavtodor attributed the restrictions to the military exercises and Putin's visit. The regional Transport Ministry had earlier said the restrictions were related to preparing roads for winter.
Residents of the region complained about traffic jams in Chelyabinsk, Chebarkul and on the highways. Putin's motorcade was accompanied by a military helicopter, as seen in a video published by a driver stuck in traffic. The footage shows people being kept off the road as the motorcade speeds past.
Heightened security measures have been noted on Putin's trips before: in May in Astana his motorcade was accompanied by an armored vehicle with a machine gunner on the roof and a vehicle with an electronic warfare system; in early September in Vladivostok, by a pickup with an anti-aircraft machine gun. According to the Financial Times, the Federal Guard Service has sharply increased security measures around Putin in recent months.
Previous Center exercises had different stated goals. In 2015, the readiness to command coalition groupings during the localization of an international conflict was tested; in 2019, the scenario envisioned an armed conflict with a fictional state in southwestern Russia. About 128,000 people took part then.