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Russian defense minister sets more complicated tasks for military snap check

Russian Airborne and special force units will seize hypothetical enemy’s aerodromes
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu ITAR-TASS/Donat Sorokin
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu
© ITAR-TASS/Donat Sorokin

MOSCOW, May 29. /TASS/. Paratroopers and special force units that have been alerted on Friday will seize hypothetical enemy’s aerodromes within a combat readiness check of the Air Force and air defense units of the Central Military District, the Russian Defense Ministry press service reported.

Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has set a new, "more complicated" task, the press service said.

"Paratroopers and special force units of the group’s reinforcement forces were alerted and marched to the aerial port of embarkation, where the personnel are boarding the Mi-8 army aviation helicopters," the ministry said.

Aviation will conduct reconnaissance and launch missile and bomb strikes on the air defense forces and units guarding the enemy aerodromes. And the paratroopers, the ministry said, have the task "to hold the airfields until the main forces arrive for using them in the interests of the created aviation grouping." As for the air defense units, they will cover the troops from the the simulated enemy’s pilots.

The surprise combat readiness inspection of the Air Force and air defense units of the Central Military District was launched on May 25. According to previous reports, it was to end on May 28. Units of the Western and Southern Military Districts, as well as Long-Range Aviation and military-transport aircraft - a total of about 12,000 troops, 250 warplanes and helicopters, about 700 pieces of various weapons and equipment, have been also involved in the maneuvers.