MOSCOW, September 18. /ITAR-TASS/. Air assault units of the Russia’s Airborne Forces have performed a long-distance advance aboard large amphibious ships to a designated area as part of combat readiness snap check in the Eastern Military District, the defence ministry said on Thursday.

According to the defence ministry, paratroopers covered a distance of 4,000 nautical miles. During the cruise, paratroopers drilled skills on landing on Kamchatka’s and Chukotka’s wild coasts and on the Island of Sakhalin and one of the Kuril Islands.

Jointly with marine infantry units and warship crews, paratroopers drilled ship damage control skills and performed tasks of defending warships at sea and at ports, the ministry said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry started a surprise combat readiness check in the Eastern Military District in the morning on September 11 at an order from Russian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin. The drills that are to be over on September 18 focus on the tasks of troops’ regrouping for large-distance re-deployment.

This is not the first combat readiness check held since the start of this year. Late in February 2014, Putin ordered combat readiness checks of troops in the Western and Central Military Districts and in late June surprise checks were held in the Central Military District.