Selenga 2019 int'l exercise begins at Munh Hat range in Mongolia
MOSCOW. Aug 17 (Interfax) - Up to 1,000 troops from the Eastern Military District motorized-infantry unit based in Kyakhta, Buryatia, and as many troops from Mongolia are taking part in a joint exercise, Selenga 2019, which began at the Munh Hat training range in Mongolia.
"At the opening event, the participants raised their national flags and played national anthems. Servicemen from the Eastern Military District and the Mongolian Armed Forces solemnly marched in formation on the field ground," Eastern Military District spokesman Col. Alexander Gordeyev said on Friday.
After the formal ceremony the crews proceeded to readying combat hardware and the practical stage of the exercise, he said. While servicing the equipment, Russian motor riflemen shared experience with Mongolian crews in operating cannons, gearing systems and engines in heavy dust conditions.
"The Mongolian troops are particularly interested in the current exercise because the special and combat equipment used by the Mongolian Armed Forces are Soviet-made," Gordeyev said.
The exercise, which has been held regularly since 2008, involves more than 1,000 Russian and Mongolian troops including motorized-infantry and armored units, a mortar battery, Grad rocket launchers, self-propelled artillery, and so on. During the practical stage the troops will drill jointly eliminating nominal militant groups and protecting a populated area in a border area.