Russian authorities have moved to reassure the West as the country embarks upon large scale military exercises which began yesterday on the borders of Europe.

The planned military manoeuvres, codenamed “Zapad”, which means “West”, are undertaken by Russia every four years, and this time are being conducted in partnership with Belarus.

It is set to be the country’s largest military exercise since 2013, which laid the foundations for Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, though some Western powers have said it could be the largest deployment since the Cold War.

Land, sea and air units are all to be involved in the war games, which will take place across a vast expanse of land in Russia’s west, as well as Belarus, the Baltic Sea and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

Some observers have expressed concern over the scale of the plans, and the numbers of troops involved.

Official figures from the Russian defence ministry say around 12,700 troops will be deployed in total, including 5,500 Russian personnel and 7,200 Belarussian soldiers.

But Nato has said as many as 100,000 troops could be involved.

The Pentagon has also issued a formal statement on its concerns over the numbers of personnel involved in the exercise.

“We urge Russia to share information regarding its exercises and operations in NATO’s vicinity to clearly convey its intentions and minimize any misunderstandings,” Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a statement.

But the Russian government says it has provided clear information and that the exercises are in line with international law.

“We reject complaints of these exercises not being transparent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters. “We believe that whipping up hysteria around these exercises is a provocation.”

“It is a normal practice for any country to hold such exercises. Everything is being held in line with international law,” Mr Peskov said.

Oleg Voinov, an adviser to the Belarusian Defense Minister, added: "We are not threatening anyone."

The manoeuvres follow similar large scale Nato exercises over the summer, and coincide with the largest Swedish exercise for 20 years, which is codenamed Aurora and will involve 19,000 Swedish troops, as well as 1,435 soldiers from the US.

Nato said its biggest exercise this year, codenamed Trident Javelin 17, planned to run from 8-17 November, would involve only 3,000 troops.

Russian military trains using reindeer and huskies in -30C cold

Trident Javelin 17 is part of preparations for larger war games next year, Trident Juncture 2018, which will involve an estimated 35,000 troops.

Zapad 2017 has been described as a possible “Trojan Horse” in which the Russians could launch significant military action. However, analysts believe it is unlikely Mr Putin will use Zapad as an opportunity to make a land grab, as some in the US fear.

Mathieu Boulegue, a research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs told the Independent: “Zapad is a routine exercise, so there is no cause for alarm in the sense that Russia will stick to the scenario.”

Russian military activity in Crimea Show all 11 1 /11 Russian military activity in Crimea Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian13-ap.jpg Russian, right, and Ukrainian navy sailors are deployed outside a Ukrainian Coast Guard base in Balaklava near Sevastopol, Crimea (AP) AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian9-ap.jpg An unidentified armed man patrols a square in front of the airport in Simferopol, Ukraine (AP) AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian12-ap.jpg A soldier rests atop a Russian armored personnel carriers with a road sign reading "Sevastopol - 32 kilometers, Yalta - 70 kilometers", near the town of Bakhchisarai, Ukraine (AP) AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian11-rtp.jpg Armed Russian navy servicemen surround a Ukrainian border guard base in Balaclava, in the Crimea region (Reuters) Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian10-afpgt.jpg Unidentified soldiers block a road to Ukrainian military airport Belbek not far from Sevastopol (AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian7-rt.jpg Sea gulls perch onboard a Russian military vessel anchored at a navy base in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol (Reuters) Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian6-afpgt.jpg Activists of the Russian Bloc party guard the road to Ukrainian military airport Belbek not far from Sevastopol (AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian8-rt.jpg Ukrainian police walk near the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol. Ukraine said on Thursday it would regard any movements by Russian military in Crimea outside the Russian Black Sea fleet's base in Sevastopol as an act of aggression. (Reuters) Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian-navy1-rt.jpg Armed Russian navy servicemen surround a Ukrainian border guard base in Balaclava, in Crimea region (Reuters) Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian4-ap.jpg An unidentified gunman holds his assault rifle ready while he and others block the road toward the military airport at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea (AP) AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian3-ap.jpg A local resident smiles preventing people from going too close to unidentified gunmen blocking the road toward the military airport at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea (AP) AP