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Putin orders to check troops’ readiness to beat coronavirus

The inspection will be carried out until March 28

© Press office of Russia's Sourthern Military District/TASS

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Russia’s Armed Forces will start conducting checks on March 25 to test their readiness to battle the coronavirus, the Defense Ministry told reporters.

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Under the president’s decision, the inspection will be carried out until March 28 in the structures of military command, formations, military units of the Western and Central Military Districts, the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Strategic Missile Forces, the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, engineering troops and certain medical support organizations.

"The checks are aimed at raising the level of the units’ readiness to solve tasks on combating the coronavirus infection if necessary," the ministry said. All events will be held only at the firing grounds of Russia’s Armed Forces without involving the authorities and services in the regions and territorial bodies of other ministries and agencies.

According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the checks will be conducted in two stages. "At the first stage, the command of military districts and central bodies of military command will be tasked with setting up a grouping of forces (equipment) and joint detachments for dealing with the consequences to fight against the diseases at the places of troops’ deployment," the minister said.

At the second stage checks will be carried out for two days to test the readiness of medical units and a mobile unit of the General Staff to be quickly deployed to battle the coronavirus, Shoigu stressed.

During the inspection, the ministry will check transport capabilities to deploy forces and equipment to remote areas by air and railway transport to provide assistance to those ill and carry out quarantine measures.

Military attaches at the embassies of foreign states in Russia will be informed about the results of this inspection.

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