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Russia starts snap drills in southern military district

Xinhua, February 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Russia has started snap drills to inspect the combat readiness of troops located in the country's Southern Military District, Defense Ministry said Monday.

"In accordance with the decision of the commander-in-chief (Russian President Vladimir Putin), today at 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) the troops of the Southern Military District, units of the airborne troops and military transport aviation have been placed on full combat alert," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

"It is necessary to test the capacity of troops and their command bodies to solve a whole range of tasks, including the fight against terrorist threats and elimination of consequences of natural and man-made disasters," Shoigu said in an online statement.

The drills would also assess the maneuverability of large units during troop buildup, check the readiness of aviation and air defense forces to repel enemy air attacks and protect important military and government facilities.

The Southern Military District is one of the four operational strategic commands of the Russian Armed Forces. It includes troops based in North Caucasus and in Crimea, as well as the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla.

Shoigu also ordered troops from the Central Military District, which includes Eastern Siberia and the Urals, to participate in some stages of the exercises.

The practice of unexpected massive checks of combat readiness of Russian troops was introduced by Putin in 2013. Since then Russia held regular snap drills in various parts of the country.

Shoigu also noted that the military attaches of foreign countries would be informed about the snap check.

Russia has been accusing NATO of its military deployment in several member states that neighboring Russia.

U.S. secretary of defense Ash Carter announced Tuesday that the country plans to increase significantly its military presence in Europe. Endi