MULINO PROVING GROUND /Nizhny Novgorod Region/, September 13. /TASS/. The Russian Airborne Forces together with the military and transport aviation for the first time carried out a mission to land a paratrooper battalion aboard cutting-edge BMD-4M vehicles as part of training in the main stage of the Zapad-2021 joint strategic exercises at the Mulino range in the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

"The landing was conducted from 21 Il-76MD military-transport planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces simultaneously at two landing areas with minimal gaps between the hulls of the planes with the difference in altitude ranging from 800 to 1,100 meters under the cover of Su-35S multifunctional jets," the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Monday.

The agency clarified that 20 Indian paratroopers participated in the exercise along with the Russian service members.

The Zapad-2021 exercises are underway from September 10-16 on the training grounds of both Russia and Belarus. The event involves about 200,000 servicemen, over 80 planes and helicopters and up to 760 vehicles. The scenario of the exercise presupposes a reaction to an escalation of the international situation and potential aggression against the Union State. Both Russia and Belarus have repeatedly stated that this exercise is defensive in nature.