MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. The command of Russia’s Central Military District is ramping up the intensity of troop combat training amid external threats, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the ministry’s board meeting on Friday.

"Amid growing threats in the Central Asian strategic direction, the District’s command continues raising the intensity of combat training. The improved command and control systems, the rearmament with the latest hardware and the new methods of warfare that have been introduced have substantially raised the cohesion of military command centers, units and formations and the personnel’s preparedness to accomplish assigned missions," the defense chief stressed.

As a result of their combat training, the Russian troops will participate in the Zapad-2021 (West-2021) joint strategic maneuvers with Belarus, Shoigu noted.

This year, the number of measures of operational training has grown by 18%, mobilization training by 34% and combat training by 9%, the defense chief specified.

"Coming next are the Peace Mission international drills with the participation of eight foreign states at the Donguz practice range, the Rubezh exercise in Kyrgyzstan and the Unbreakable Brotherhood maneuvers on the training ground of the Kazan Tank School," Shoigu said.

The Defense Ministry’s board meeting is discussing the pace of implementing the plan of the Central Military District’s activity in accordance with the Russian president’s decrees and instructions following defense industry meetings in Sochi, the defense minister said.

The Central Military District is the largest in Russia. It is based on the territory of the Volga, Urals and Siberian integrated federal districts and 29 Russian regions. Structurally, the Central Military District also includes some overseas facilities: the 201st military base in Tajikistan, the Kant integrated military base in Kyrgyzstan and units stationed on the territory of Kazakhstan.