MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/. Russian, Laotian troops held their first live-fire exercise at the Ban Peng training ground in Laos during the Laros 2019 joint drills, the press office of Russia’s Eastern Military District reported on Monday.

"The first joint live-fire exercise was held at the Ban Peng training ground <…> Tank crews from Russia and Laos used T-72 MS tanks to practice mobile defense with the prompt change of their positions, and also counter-attacks. In turn, a reconnaissance unit of the armed forces of Laos conducted search operations to detect notional militant groups and ‘terrorist’ training camps," the press office said in a statement.

The active phase of the drills is beginning on December 16 when the joint force grouping will practice eliminating an illegal armed formation. The commanders of armored units have already completed joint planning of the upcoming counter-terror operation, the statement says.

The first joint Russian-Laotian drills of armored units dubbed Laros 2019 are running on December 10-19 and involve over 500 troops from both countries. Tank crews of a motorized infantry formation stationed in the Trans-Baikal Region, and also a logistic support platoon and an army medical unit are representing Russia in the drills.

The Laotian Defense Ministry is represented by tactical groups of armored and reconnaissance units, radiation, chemical and biological protection units and signal troops.

The troops participating in the drills will exchange their experience of using combat hardware in wooded, swampy, and mountainous terrain and practice the tactic of joint operations in the jungle, according to the statement.

For the period of the drills, the Laos army has provided its T-72MS tanks, BRDM-2MS armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicles, PKTM machine-guns and AKM assault rifles to the Russian personnel, the statement says.