Russia’s Southern Military District Launches Snap Exercises

Russian troops in its three North Caucasus regions – Chechnya, Daghestan, and Krasnodar – as well as its troops stationed in Georgia’s Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia were put on alert on June 1, as part of the “combat readiness inspection” by Colonel General Alexander Dvornikov, Commander of Russia’s Southern Military District.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the snap drills involve over 6.5 thousand soldiers and about 1.5 thousand items of armament and military equipment of the motorized, tank and artillery units, as well as the naval infantry of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla.

As part of the drills, the troops will march for over one thousand kilometers to unfamiliar locations, where they will practice conducting combat operations, the Ministry said.

“Combat readiness inspection in an important form of examining the state of affairs in the armed forces,” the statement reads. In 2017, the Southern Military District conducted more than 40 combat readiness checks of its units, it also added.

Also on June 1, the Russian military bases in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia opened their summer training period, the Russian Defense Ministry reported in its separate press releases.

In Tskhinvali, the military equipment, including T-90 tank, BMP-3 infantry combat vehicles and self-propelled howitzer “Akatsiya,” were presented at the opening ceremony. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than one thousand items of military equipment, including armor, have been prepared for their exploitation for the summer training period.

During the opening ceremony in Abkhazia, deputy commander of the South Military District forces Lieutenant General Alexander Romanchuk said that the summer training period would include “over 100 tactical, special tactical and command staff exercises in the field, more than 500 practical drills.” 

The number of hours of combat training in the field will be increased by 50 percent, with each mechanized unit serviceman spending over 2.5 months in the field.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian)