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Military drills

Russian artillery troops eliminate enemy force during drills in Tajikistan’s mountains

The one-day exercise involved about 500 motor rifle and artillery troops and over 70 items of armament and military hardware, according to the press office

BTR-82 armored personnel carrier Vitaly Nevar/TASS

BTR-82 armored personnel carrier

© Vitaly Nevar/TASS

MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. Mortar squads of Russia’s 201st military base eliminated a notional enemy’s artillery during drills in Tajikistan’s high mountains, the press office of the Central Military District said on Monday.

"Under the drills’ scenario, the enemy took advantage of the terrain features to hide in mountain hollows, equipping firing positions to deliver artillery fire against the base’s military facilities. The teams of 120mm Sani mortars fired concentrated salvos from sheltered emplacements against the targets that simulated the notional enemy’s positions at a distance of up to five kilometers. Artillery fire controllers adjusted the fire and struck the targets from an observation post located at a commanding height," the press office said in a statement.

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The one-day exercise involved about 500 motor rifle and artillery troops and over 70 items of armament and military hardware, the press office added.

Russia’s Central Military District is based in the territory of the Volga, Urals and Siberian integrated federal districts and 29 Russian regions. Structurally, the Central Military District also includes some overseas facilities: the 201st military base in Tajikistan, the Kant integrated military base in Kyrgyzstan and units stationed on the territory of Kazakhstan.

The 201st military base stationed in Tajikistan is Russia’s largest military facility outside its borders. The military base is located in the cities of Dushanbe and Bokhtar. The military base’s armament includes T-72 tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Grad multiple launch rocket systems, Gvozdika and Akatsiya artillery systems.

Under the agreement signed in October 2012, Russia’s military base in Tajikistan will remain until 2042.

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Military drills

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