MOSCOW, September 1. /TASS/. Top military specialists from 26 friendly countries will undergo training at the Russian Joint Staff’s Military Academy this year, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.

"Your invaluable experience will help make the study programs of the Defense Ministry’s educational institutions more pertinent, to mold citizens who are honest, brave and responsible for the fate of Russia. It will also be helpful to our foreign partners, including the top echelon military specialists from 26 friendly countries who will study at the academy this year," the top military official said in his message of greetings to the academy’s students and faculty on the occasion of the new academic year.

According to the Defense Ministry, Shoigu noted that almost 80% of those attending the academy are combat veterans and about 40% are participants in the special military operation. He stressed that more than 25,000 qualified specialists have graduated from the military academy over its almost 200-year history.

The Defense Ministry said that, in the new academic year, the academy adjusted its instructional approach and updated its curriculum and programs to factor in modern combat experience and practices, as well as increased the number of practical courses offered, including at the command centers of various service branches.