Russia Redeploys Some 170 Aircraft Amid Center-2015 Military Drills

Some 170 Russian combat aircraft had to fly some 500 to 2,000 kilometers (310-1,240 miles) to airfields in the Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Saratov regions, the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Perm Territory in order to participate in military drills, according to the statement of Russian Defense Ministry.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Some 170 combat aircraft have been redeployed to airfields in Russia's Central Military District to take part in ongoing large-scale Center-2015 military exercises, the Defense Ministry said Monday.

"The planes have flown some 500 to 2,000 kilometers (310-1,240 miles) to airfields in the Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Saratov regions, the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Perm Territory," the ministry said.

The Center-2015 strategic exercises on September 14-20 involve around 95,000 troops and some 7,000 pieces of military equipment from member-countries of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

As many as 20 warships will participate in exercises headed by Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valeriy Gerasimov.

The drills incorporating the CSTO members aim to contain a fictional international armed conflict in the Central Asian region. They will include a number of command and staff training sessions, as well as practicing full deployment of forces during special exercises.