Russia unexpectedly suspends large-scale readiness check of its troops
Russia has stopped a series of military and naval exercises in the south and west regions three days after receiving written responses from the United States and NATO to proposals for security guarantees.
The snap readiness check announced in the Western and Southern districts has been completed, and 7,000 soldiers who were put on alert are returning to their places of permanent deployment.
The exercises of the Western Military District, which started on January 25 with participation of thousands of troops and 100 units of equipment, including Iskander-M missile systems, were completed on January 29. “Having destroyed the airfield of a hypothetical enemy and having worked out measures to protect fighter jets and bombers of the Russian Airforce from the attack, the troops fulfilled their tasks in full", said the commander of the Western Military District Alexander Zhuravlev.
The aircraft, communication, engineering, radiation defense, chemical and biological defense units returned to the places of their permanent deployment, Interfax reports.
The exercises were even larger in the Southern Military District. More than 6,000 servicemen were put on alert there. Aircraft of the district, as well as naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet were transferred to operational airfields in Crimea, the Krasnodar Krai, as well as in the Rostov and Volgograd regions. They practiced, among other things, missile strikes.
The fleet involved in the exercises is also returning to its base. On Monday, January 31, the warships of the Black Sea Fleet returned to their base in Crimea and Novorossiysk.
They conducted "training in communications, survivability, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, anti-sabotage defense," the press service of the Black Sea Fleet said.
The strike group consisting of the frigate Admiral Essen, the frigate Ladny, the missile corvettes Naberezhnye Chelny and R-60 practiced a sea battle, performed live firing at targets imitating enemy ships and means of enemy air attack.
The Baltic Fleet ships returned to their bases without completing their training tasks due to reports of an impending storm, the press service of the Baltic Sea Fleet said.
“Based on the weather forecast provided by the Hydrometeorological Center of the Baltic Fleet, the plan for combat training of formations and units of the fleet was adjusted,” the press service said.