Russia has launched the Kavkaz-2020 strategic drills on Monday (21 September). The Russian Defense Ministry said that over 80,000 people are involved in the drills.
They are taking place at several training grounds of the Southern Military District across the Caucasus region and Southern Russia from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea.
Fighter jets of Russia's Southern Military District are on combat duty within the framework of the Kavkaz-2020 drills that started on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry's press service informed.
"Crews of Su-27 and Su-30SM fighter jets of the Southern Military District are on combat air defense duty at operative airfields in the Republic of Crimea, the Krasnodar, Stavropol and Rostov Regions within the strategic command post drills Kavkaz-2020," the ministry informed.
Along with Russia, military units from Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar and Pakistan will be involved in the exercises. No more than 1,000 foreign troops will take part in the drills. Representatives of Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka will act as observers. Earlier it had been reported that armed units from Abkhazia and South Ossetia were due to participate in the exercises, but there was no mention of them in today's statement.
The exercises will last until 26 September.
source: commonspace.eu with agencies
photo: A Russian tank during a drill (archive picture)
