Paratroopers alerted in two Russian regions for joint exercises with Tajik army
MOSCOW. March 10 (Interfax-AVN) - Special operations units of the Ulyanovsk and Ivanovo formations of the Airborne Forces were placed on alert on Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"This has been done for the joint command-and-staff exercises of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan," the ministry said in a report seen by Interfax-AVN on Thursday.
Reconnaissance servicemen staying at the bases of their formations "are practicing high alert, after which they will perform a combined march to the boarding area - the Vostochny airfield (Ulyanovsk) and the Severny airfield (Ivanovo)," the report said.
The paratroopers, interacting with units from the Central Military District and colleagues from Tajikistan, will practice parachuting of troops and special cargo in unfamiliar drop zones under complex climatic conditions.
They will also drill sabotage-and-reconnaissance skills on unfamiliar mountain passes.
"In all, the joint command-and-staff exercises will involve a 150-man operative task force from the Russian Armed Forces' Airborne Forces supervised by the reconnaissance chief of the Airborne Forces," the report said.