Putin Frames Center 2026 Drills as Defense Against External Aggression

Russian President Putin announced the strategic command-and-staff exercise 'Center 2026' and 'Interaction 2026', framing their main goal as practicing defense against external aggression. This is a routine annual exercise, but the explicit framing may signal heightened threat perception or messaging to domestic and international audiences. The scale and specifics of the drills remain undisclosed.