Russia uses new hardware at big military drills

FILE PHOTO: Russian service members attend a ceremony opening the military exercise Zapad-2021 staged by the the armed forces of Russia and Belarus at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Brest Region, Belarus September 9, 2021. Picture taken September 9, 2021. Vadim Yakubyonok/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia used new combat robots and tactical vehicles on the second day of the active main phase of large military drills with its ex-Soviet ally Belarus, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

The "Zapad-2021" war games, which will run until next Thursday on Russia and Belarus's western flanks including sites close to the European Union's borders, have alarmed Ukraine and some NATO countries.