BREST, 9 April (BelTA) – The opening ceremony of the Belarus-Russia military landing drill took place at the Brestsky training range on 9 April, BelTA informs.
The exercise brought together around 450 troops and up to 70 vehicles. The Belarusian army is represented at the drill by members of the 38th Guards Air Assault Brigade of the Special Forces. They are joined by members of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division of Russia's Armed Forces and a combat engineering unit.
“The detachment comprises nearly a hundred military volunteers. We have brought a set of the state-of-the-art combat system Ratnik and parachute systems. Belarus has provided the armaments and vehicles. The drill is designed to further develop military cooperation and hone the operational skills of the soldiers and detachments,” said Colonel Aleksei Andreyev, deputy commander of the 104th Guards Airborne Division, chief of the Airborne Service.
The exercise is meant to detect, block, and destroy an illegal armed group that has captured a strategic site.
The drill will be held in three stages. “We will assess unit cohesion. We must be able to team up and understand commands correctly. We are also interested in the solid fighting experience of our Russian colleagues,” noted Colonel Dmitry Sobol, commander of the 38th Guards Air Assault Brigade.
The active phase of the exercise with live fire and airdrop missions will take place from 10 to 12 April.
Photos by Vadim Yakubenok
