MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. The Aerospace Force and Air Defense units in Russia’s southern military district, including Crimea, have been alerted for the full combat readiness check on orders from the chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, the district’s press-service has said.

"The personnel of Aerospace Force and Air Defense units in the Rostov and Volgograd regions, the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories and the republics of North Ossetia-Alania and Crimea has been alerted for a combat readiness check," the statement runs.

Combat readiness will be rated "on the basis of results of coping with practical tasks in the process of tactical exercises of different level," the military district said.

The check will assess the professionalism of air pilots and crews, other personnel of air defense units and the military personnel’s ability to ready aircraft for missions.