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Military drills

Russian helicopter crews hold drills in Tajikistan

Crews of Mi-8 multipurpose helicopters and Mi-24 attack helicopters train detecting and eliminating a simulated enemy in the nighttime

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

YEKATERINBURG, June 28. /TASS/. Russian helicopter crews deployed in Tajikistan are conducting training flights aimed at searching and detecting militant groups in mountainous areas of the country, a spokesman for Russia’s Central Military District said on Wednesday.

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"Crews of Mi-8 multipurpose helicopters and Mi-24 attack helicopters train detecting and eliminating a simulated enemy in the nighttime," spokesman Col. Yaroslav Roshchupkin said.

According to the scenario of the maneuvers, illegal armed formations covertly approach important infrastructure objects in Tajikistan at nighttime, covering up to 20-25 kilometers every night and taking shelter during the daytime. Helicopter crews have to detect them in conditions of poor visibility and mountainous terrain.

Russia’s 201 Military Base in Tajikistan, based in Dushanbe and Kurgan-Tyube, is the country’s biggest military facility outside its borders. Under an agreement signed in October 2012, the base will remain in Tajikistan until 2042.

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