Algeria, Russia Kick Off First Military Drills on Algerian Soil

Some 200 soldiers, half Algerian, half Russian, will conduct the Desert Shield anti-terrorism exercises. This first joint ground operation on Algerian soil will take place in the west of the country, near Morocco.

Russia and Algeria are launching Desert Shield 2022 maneuvers, which bring together some 200 soldiers from Russian and Algerian counterterrorism forces in Bechar Province, some 50 kilometers from the Moroccan border.

The Russian Foreign Ministry ‘spokeswoman had previously stressed that these joint maneuvers, scheduled from November 16 to 28, were not targeted at "any third country."

The exercises will take place at the Hammaguir base, the existence of which was extended for five years after the country gained independence following the Evian Accords between France and Algeria, so that the French army could continue to test rockets and missiles there.

This will be the first time that soldiers from both countries will train together on Algerian soil to simulate “the search for and elimination of terrorist groups.”

Other Joint Exercises These are the third joint exercises scheduled for 2022. In September, Algerian soldiers participated in the Vostok-2022 military drills in Russia’s Eastern Military District. In October, a detachment of Russian warships docked in the port of Algiers for a joint exercise with the Algerian National Navy.

The first joint maneuvers of the two countries' militaries took place in October 2021 at the Tarskoye South Ossetia training grounds in North Ossetia (Caucasus). Negotiated Mega Contract Military contacts between Algeria and Russia go hand in hand with the acceleration of industrial cooperation.

Algeria is becoming the world's largest importer of Russian arms. According to the Algerian press, a huge contract is being prepared, which is valued at over $11 billion. The procurements could include a fifth-generation single-engine stealth fighter aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-75 "Checkmate".

Relations between Algeria and Russia haven’t been reduced to the military and commercial field. On Friday, November 11, the Algerian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's visit to Russia could take place before the end of this year and that "active" preparations were underway.