Airborne battalion air-lands in Chukotka for first time
MOSCOW. Sept 16 (Interfax-AVN) - A reinforced air assault battalion of the Ulan-Ude brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) has air-landed near the city of Anadyr, the administrative center of the Chukotka Autonomous District, for the first time, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The troops were air-dropped from Antonov An-124 Ruslan heavy long-range transport aircraft," a ministry spokesperson said.
While in Anadyr, the paratroopers are to execute the tasks for preventing a possible landing by the amphibious landing force of a simulated enemy on the coast of the Bering Sea, the spokesman said.
The VDV units stations in Buryatia were redeployed from the Vostochny airfield (Ulan-Ude) to the Ugolniye Kopi airfield (Anadyr) in accordance with the objectives of a surprise troop inspection currently being carried out in the Eastern Military District.
For the first time, units from the Ulan-Ude Airborne Brigade had to travel over 4,000 kilometers on board military transport aircraft to areas of future operations, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said.