Defence chiefs said troops from the Eastern Military District were taking part in the extensive drills to practice modern warfare techniques in a defensive battle. A spokesman said: “About 3,000 personnel of a motorised infantry large unit from the Eastern Military District will practice modern warfare techniques in a defensive battle at the Knyaze-Volkonsky training range in the Khabarovsk Region.
“Special attention will be paid to multi-service force interaction, as well as to the techniques of building reconnaissance and fire contours based on the experience of present-day military conflicts.
“It should be noted that during the drills the troops will for the first time practice the techniques of camouflaging military units as agricultural and industrial infrastructure sites.”
During the practical stage of the drills, the troops will perform drills with a switchover to the defence and practice strikes in counter-attacks, employing reconnaissance drones and helicopters of the Eastern Military District’s army aviation.
The troops will strike a notional enemy force, employing about 350 weapon systems, including T-72B tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, Gvozdika self-propelled artillery guns, Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft systems, Sani mortars, Grad multiple launch rocket systems and anti-tank missile launchers.
The troops will also fire RPG-7V and AGS-17 ‘Plamya’ grenade launchers to crush the enemy. Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ strike helicopters of the Eastern Military District’s army aviation will provide air support for the troops while teams of Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles will provide reconnaissance data on adversary targets.
In a further show of sabre-rattling from the Kremlin, a group of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s warships is practicing anti-submarine warfare during drills.”
A spokesman for the fleet’s said: “Over 10 ships and support vessels of the Black Sea Fleet have taken to the sea for drills in accordance with the fleet’s combat training plan.
“The naval task force comprising the frigate Admiral Essen, the submarine Kolpino, the small anti-submarine warfare ships Kasimov and Suzdalets, as well as support vessels is accomplishing assignments at combat training ranges in the Black Sea.”
The crews have already practiced measures to urgently prepare the warships for a battle and for their deployment, for their departure from the naval base and their transit to dispersal areas, and to organise all types of the vessels’ protection and defence.
The spokesman said: ”During the drills, the warships’ crews will practice detecting and destroying a notional enemy’s submarine while the sub’s crew will be assigned the task of stealthily attacking a surface and a ground target and dodging the hostile force’s torpedo and bomb strikes.”
The drills are due to continue for the rest of this week.