MOSCOW, September 11. /TASS/. First joint Russian-Serbian air defense exercises, Slavic Shield - 2019, will begin on Wednesday in southern Russia’s Astrakhan Region, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service said.

"The exercise involves units of the air and missile defense troops and the radio-technical troops of the Russian Aerospace Forces and units of the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence, as well as S-400 missile systems, Pantsir-S surface-to-air missile systems and radar stations," the Russian ministry said.

During practical training, the participants will have to repel a simulated massive aerial strike and perform test launches in difficult conditions at high-and low-altitude, ballistic and evading targets at the Ashuluk training ground.