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ZAPAD-2021 Tactical Airborne Assault In Kaliningrad

ZAPAD-2021 Tactical Airborne Assault [© Russian Federation MoD]

A tactical airborne assault landing was carried out in Russia’s Kaliningrad region during the Joint Strategic Exercise ZAPAD-2021.

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Press Release, Moscow, 15 September 2021: [auto-translated] In the Kaliningrad region, at the Pravdinsky training ground of the Baltic Fleet army corps, during the stage of the joint strategic Russian-Belarusian exercise ZAPAD-2021, military transport aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a landing with standard weapons, about 300 servicemen of the Pskov Airborne Forces, and twelve BMD-2KU airborne assault vehicles .

To accomplish the task, ten Il-76MD military transport aircraft of the military transport aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces were involved. The landing was carried out by parachute on the D-10 and D-6 systems from a height of 800 metres.

According to the plan of the exercise, a pair of Su-27 fighters of the Baltic Fleet, having carried out an air battle, cleared the airspace of the aircraft of a simulated enemy. To ensure the safe deployment of the main landing force, the frontline Su-24 bombers bombed the positions of the notional enemy. After the landing, the Pskov paratroopers destroyed the command posts, seized the bridgehead and defended it. In addition, the Airborne Forces during this episode practised conducting airborne assault operations to block and destroy the forward detachments of the notional enemy.

For reference:-

  • The joint strategic exercise (ССУ) of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus is held every two years in accordance with the decision made by the heads of the two states. Exercise ZAPAD-2021 (WEST-2021) is the final stage of joint training of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation this year.
  • Practical actions of troops (forces) took place from 10 to 16 September 2021 at nine training grounds located on the territory of the Russian Federation, in the water area of the Baltic Sea, as well as at five training grounds of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus.
  • In total, up to 200 thousand personnel, about 80 aircraft and helicopters, up to 760 units of military equipment, including 290 tanks, 240 guns, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, as well as up to 15 ships, took part in ССУ ZAPAD-2021 on the territory of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus,
  • The maximum number of personnel of military units involved in training, subject to the Vienna Document 2011, on the territory of the Russian Federation does not exceed 6400 military personnel.
  • The return of military command and control bodies and troops to their permanent deployment points after participation in the exercise is planned until mid-October of this year.

Source: Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation MoD

[images © Russian Federation MoD]

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