MOSCOW. Dec 4 (Interfax) - The Russian Defense Ministry plans to hold over 4,000 drills and about 8,600 combat training events in 2019, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a teleconference on Tuesday.
"The year 2019 will be quite busy. More than 4,000 exercises of various scales, as well as about 8,500 combat training events have been planned. Emphasis will be put on using the experience of engagement in modern armed conflicts and the training of commanders to effectively deal with unusual tasks," Shoigu said.
The ministry will continue surprise checks, Shoigu said. "This form of control helps uncover problems, which may be overlooked in day-to-day operations," he said.