SIMFEROPOL, December 23. /TASS/. Russia’s Airborne Force will hold large-scale drills in Crimea and the southern Krasnodar Region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

The drills are commencing today at the Opuk military training ground in Crimea. As Russia’s Defense Ministry specified, the troops will practice live-firings by air assault and artillery units, radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, clearing mines on terrain and shielding the personnel from attacks by aircraft and drones.

"The troops will accomplish firing tasks and strike targets at various distances," the Defense Ministry’s press office said.

During the drills, the paratroopers will also practice air assault operations aboard helicopters to seal off a captured area and provide for a quick advance of the main forces, which will be carried out with the fire support of army aviation (Mi-35 gunships).

Meanwhile, the drills at the Rayevsky training ground near Novorossiysk will kick off on December 24. The paratroopers will sharpen the skills of warfare at short distances, as well as reconnaissance and strike operations by a battalion of 2S9 ‘Nona’ self-propelled artillery systems, the press office specified.

The drills will run as part of a field exercise of the paratroopers’ command under the direction of Airborne Force Commander Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov. Overall, the maneuvers will bring together more than 1,200 paratroopers and over 250 items of military and special hardware, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.