Russian Baltic Fleet warships took part in military exercises at sea last weekend as part of the large-scale joint Russia-Belarus military drill code-named 'Zapad-2017'.

According to the drill's scenario, simulated enemy planes and helicopters were trying to destroy the fleet and Russian military ships had to defeat a hypothetical aggressor.

The war games continued yesterday in Belarus, at its most western training ground, just 30 kilometres away from the border with Poland.

'Zapad' drills started on Thursday  and are scheduled to last until Thursday. They are taking place in Belarus, western Russia, Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad and in the Baltic Sea.

NATO is closely watching the exercises and says they are larger than the 12,700 servicemen Moscow has publicised, actually numbering some 100,000 troops, and involve firing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

Russia's defence ministry reiterated that the exercises are of a purely defensive nature and are not a threat to any third country or group of countries.