ALABINO RANGE, August 1. /TASS/. Russia is still leading in the tank biathlon at the 2017 International Army Games after a half of the races, the competition’s chief judge Colonel Roman Binyukov told reporters.

"We had seven races yesterday, and the leaders have been determined. These are the crew of the Russian Federation (the first place), the People’s Republic of China (second) and then the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Kazakhstan," Binyukov said.

On Tuesday, the second crews from Belarus, Zimbabwe, Kazakhstan and Iran are taking part in Race 8. Crews from Russia, Serbia and Kyrgyzstan will also take part in Race 9.

Binyukov noted that all the teams had almost tripled their hit percentage. "This is a real result, when, at the 100 hit percentage, many teams fight in the correct obstacle crossing," he said. The Games’ chief judge Major General Dmitry Gorbatenko also pointed to the grown mastery of the tank biathlon participants. "We all note the growing level of the teams that come to us for the competitions," he said, noting that the mastery was improving and the crews had reached a high level at which they fought with just seconds separating them.

The Tank Biathlon international completion started at the Alabino Range on July 29 as part of the 2017 International Army Games. The semifinal races will be held on August 8-10. After the semifinal results, the best four teams will enter the final that will be held on August 12, on the Games’ closing day.

This year’s Army Games are being held at 22 ranges in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and China from July 29 to August 12, with 28 countries participating.