Russian Army helicopters fire flares over Sakhalin Island in Russia's far east during military exercises, July 16, 2013.
The maneuvers in Siberia and the far eastern region involved 160,000 troops and about 5,000 tanks - a massive show of force unprecedented since Soviet times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to the chief of Russia's military General Staff Valery Gerasimov, right, as he observes military exercises near Lake Baikal, July 17, 2013.