Russian President Putin Monitors Military Exercise in Leningrad Region

Russian President Vladimir Putin overseeing military drills. Russian military forces are preparing for the possibility of further United States backed destabilization efforts in Ukraine., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

President Putin monitors military exercise in Leningrad region

Russia March 03, 19:52 UTC+4
Itar-Tass

President Putin accompanied by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, troops commander of the Western Military District Anatoly Sidorov and Chief of the head department of combat training of the Russian armed forces Ivan Buvaltsov on Monday have monitored a military exercise held on the Kirillovsky test range in the Leningrad region in the framework of a surprise inspection of combat readiness of troops and ammunition of the Western and Central military districts.

The surprise inspection of troops of the Western and Central military districts, which began on February 26, ends late on March 3.

Around 150,000 servicemen, 90 planes, 120 helicopters, 880 tanks, 80 ships all in all took part in the exercise.

More than 1,800 servicemen, 30 tanks, around 20 airborne combat vehicles, five planes and 80 helicopters were involved in the exercise held on the Kirillovsky test range on five scenarios: drills in combat operations and liquidation of a presumed adversary, landing operations by paratroopers on guided parachutes and landing of tactical airborne troops for isolation of a zone of military operations, neutralization of an artillery unit or a logistics supply battalion.


Putin orders troops that took part in military exercises to return to bases

Russia March 04, 10:31 UTC+4
ITAR-TASS/Yuri Belinsky

MOSCOW, March 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian President and Supreme Commander in Chief Vladimir Putin has ordered troops that took part in military exercises to return to their bases, the president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

According to Peskov, on Monday, after a report about successful exercises was presented to Putin, the supreme commander in chief ordered the troops that participated in the exercises to return to their permanent deployment bases.

On Monday, the president personally watched the exercises on the Kirillovsky training ground in the Leningrad Region, together with Defenыe Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Western Military District Troops' Commander Anatoly Sidorov and Chief of the Main Department for Combat Training of the Armed Forces Ivan Buvaltsev.

The urgent drills were conducted to test the combat readiness of troops of the western and central military districts, involving 150,000 personnel, up to 90 planes, 120 helicopters, 880 tanks and 80 ships.

On the training ground, Putin, who had ordered the urgent drills, watched tactical exercises of a motorized infantry brigade and paratroops who played five main episodes - brigade units' combat actions, elimination of an enemy detachment, landing of paratroopers to destroy a control point, landing of tactical airborne units to isolate an areas of combat actions and an operation to destroy artillery and a material support battalion. The training involved more than 1,800 personnel, more than 30 tanks, about 20 combat vehicles, five planes and 80 helicopters.