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Military drills

Russian armed forces complete snap combat readiness check

The drills began on July 17

© Donat Sorokin/TASS, archive

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Events held as part of the snap combat readiness check of the Russian armed forces, ordered by Russia’s Supreme Commander-in-Chief President Vladimir Putin, have been completed, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation completed the events of the snap combat readiness check, held between July 17 and 21, in line with the decision of the commander-in-chief of the Russian Federation’s armed forces," the statement says.

According to the ministry, troops and forces of the Southern Military District and other military units involved in the drills are returning to their home bases.

The surprise combat readiness check of the troops of the Southern and Western Military Districts, marine infantry of the Northern and Pacific Fleets, some units of central subordination and the Airborne Force began on July 17 on order of Russia’s Supreme Commander-in-Chief President Vladimir Putin.

It involved about 150,000 troops, around 400 aircraft, over 26,000 items of armament, military and special hardware and over 100 warships and support vessels.

A total of 56 separate exercises of various levels and scale were held at 52 training ranges as part of the combat preparedness check.

The troops’ surprise inspection aimed to assess the military command centers’ ability to ensure military security in the country’s southwest where terrorist-related threats persist and the preparedness of troops and forces for the Kavkaz-2020 (Caucasus-2020) strategic command and staff exercise, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

Deputy Defense Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin said at a briefing on July 20 that "the troops’ surprise combat readiness check is a training measure and is not aimed against other countries." There is no relationship between measures ongoing as part of the troops’ combat readiness check and the aggravation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Fomin added.

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