MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. Over 700 radiation, chemical and biological protection troops of Russia’s Central Military District kicked off comprehensive drills in the Urals, the Volga area and in Siberia, the District’s press office reported on Thursday.

The drills are running at training ranges in the Samara, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg and Altai Regions, the press office specified.

"Radiation, chemical and biological protection specialists are accomplishing combat training assignments of reconnaissance, aerosol countermeasures, decontamination and also heavy flamethrower units. Chemical reconnaissance squads are carrying out radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance aboard their RKhM-6 vehicles along with conducting a chemical analysis and collecting samples of the soil and particles of toxic agents in field conditions," the press office said in a statement.

"Aerosol countermeasures units are putting up on-site smokescreens over the positions of protected forces, hiding them visually and in the infrared band," the statement says.

Special treatment units are accomplishing procedures within the required time limits to prepare decontamination formulas as well as deploying ARS-14KM systems for degassing, decontaminating and disinfecting the terrain, equipment, armament and the personnel. The units of TOS-1 heavy flamethrower systems are required to pass tests in preparing for a march, loading ammunition, aiming and conducting training fire, according to the statement.

The drills that will run until the middle of next week involve over 700 troops and more than 60 items of special military hardware.