MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The troops will work on countering simulated enemy sabotage, repelling air strikes and overcoming simulated toxic contamination of the terrain.
Some 200 units of military equipment, and around 10 Mi-8 and Mi-24 combat helicopters are used in the drill.
"Units were alerted and began a march on standard vehicles to practical training sites in the city of Luga, Leningrad region," Col. Oleg Kochetkov said.
The snap drills in Luga coincide with the August 24-28 Collective Security Treaty Organization-wide exercises dubbed Interaction-2015 in nearby Pskov Region, involving over 2,000 personnel and 200 pieces of hardware.
In Europe, NATO is holding Swift Response 15 exercises across Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Romania. The drills incorporating over 4,800 soldiers from 11 nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, are scheduled to wrap up on September 13.