British intelligence cited possible reasons for Russia's cancellation of the military games

Last week, Russian media reported that the annual international military games would not take place in 2024, although the Russian Ministry of Defense has not officially commented on this. The event was also canceled in 2023.

This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom on Twitter.

According to the summary, the "International Army Games," which first took place in 2015, is an annual event organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense, in which a number of countries compete in military activities over two weeks. In the latest games in 2022, 6,000 people from 37 countries participated.

According to British intelligence, Russia likely canceled the games to avoid criticism of the event as a trivial pursuit during wartime, which would divert military efforts from the war in Ukraine, and to avoid the potential reduction in participation by other countries.

The "tank biathlon" is particularly notable among the games.