MOSCOW (Sputnik) – About 10,000 military servicemen from the Russian Airborne Forces are taking part in snap combat readiness drills of the Central Military District, the Russian Defense ministry informs.
"Within the framework of the snap readiness drills three airborne troops compounds were brought on high alert on the territories of the Ivanovo, Ulyanovsk and Volgograd regions. Within 24 hours, a total of about 10,000 airmen were brought to combat readiness," the ministry said in a Thursday statement.
A total of almost 100,000 military personnel from Russia’s Central Military District, as well as over 7,000 pieces of hardware and 170 airplanes, are involved in snap combat readiness drills, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the snap combat readiness drills on September 7. The exercises will last through September 12.