MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. The first joint drill was held at the Burduny range (Russia’s Buryatia republic) on Wednesday within the framework of the Russian-Mongolian military exercise Selenga 2016, spokesman for the Russian Eastern Military District Colonel Alexander Gordeyev told TASS.

"During the joint training units of the Eastern Military District and the Mongolian armed forces practiced tactical groups’ movement on approach routes and the organization of communication between the units. The Joint Staff of the exercise command agreed the command and liaison signals common for both sides," the official said.

The exercises started on August 30 and will last until September 7. The manoeuvers involve some 1,000 troops and up to 200 units of military equipment on both sides. In particular, the drills involve a tank battalion, a motorized infantry company, a mortar battalion, howitzer self-propelled artillery and rocket batteries, air defense, reconnaissance and NBC protection units of Russia’s Eastern Military District. The Mongolian Armed Forces are represented in the exercise by motorized infantry companies with infantry combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers, a tank platoon, a mortar and a rocket battery.

The Russian-Mongolian Selenga manoeuvers are held annually since 2008. Before 2011, it was a tactical exercise with live firing that was called Darkhan, which means "Builder" in Mongolian. Last year, the exercise was held in Russia’s Trans-Baikal Territory. Then the drills participants practiced assault river crossing and tactical landing.