PSKOV, March 1. /TASS/.Russia’s Airborne Force will take part in nine international drills this year, including six exercises outside the country, Airborne Force Commander Colonel-General Andrei Serdyukov said on Wednesday.

"In 2017, Airborne Force units will take part in nine joint exercises with units of the armed forces of foreign states in compliance with a plan of the Russian Defense Ministry’s international activity. Six exercises will be held outside our country: on the territory of Armenia within the framework of the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization], and also in Nicaragua and Belarus," the general said.

In Russia, the Airborne Force is expected to participate in two joint drills: one with the Belarusian Special Operations Forces and the other with servicemen of Egypt, the commander said.

An active phase of the joint drills of the Russian Airborne Force and the Belarusian Special Operations Forces has begun in the Pskov Region in northwest Russia on Wednesday.

The drills involve over 1,000 troops and aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Force, including Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopters and Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets. The drills will come to a close on March 4.