SAMARA (Sputnik) — According to Seritsky, about 400 service personnel will participate in the military exercises.
"The drills at the Kapustin Yar testing range in Russia's Astrakhan Region will become an important event this year. The preparatory part will begin on February 19," Commander of the 2nd Guards Maj. Gen. Igor Seritsky told journalists, adding that a Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile is scheduled to be launched in early April during the final stage of the drills.
The Iskander-M (NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a mobile ballistic missile system designed to destroy a wide variety of ground targets at a range of up to 500 kilometers (over 300 miles).
