MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. Russian and Tajik troops kicked off joint military drills in Tajikistan to practice fighting outlawed armed gangs and protecting the state border, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.
"The opening ceremony took place at the Kharb-Maidon mountain and desert practice range in the Khatlon Region of Tajikistan. The joint bilateral exercise is running on April 15-18, 2024," the ministry said in a statement.
During the drills, military contingents from both countries will practice employing troops to destroy terrorist formations, training units in accomplishing assigned missions on mountainous terrain and exercising command and control in protecting the state border and eliminating outlawed armed gangs that have infiltrated the border, the ministry specified.
The Russian military contingent involved in the drills largely comprises personnel of the 201st military base in Tajikistan, in particular, mountain, motor rifle, tank, artillery and reconnaissance units and crews of Mi-24 attack helicopters and Mi-8MTV5-1 transport/combat helicopters, it said.
The drills will also involve radiation, chemical and biological protection specialists, UAV operators and mobile electronic warfare groups, the ministry reported.