YEKATERINBURG. Sept 22 (Interfax) - Mil Mi-8 military-transport helicopters of Russia's Central Military District will plant over 100 mines on the flanks of a mock enemy during the Peace Mission 2021 exercise of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Orenburg region, the district press service said on Wednesday.
"A mining unit mounted on Mi-8 helicopters will airdrop anti-tank and anti-personnel mines over the mock enemy's flanks during a tactical episode [of the exercise]. The pilots will be using VSM-1 mining systems for planting mines, and over 100 mines will be airdropped from an altitude of about 30 meters," the press service said.
The minefields will be up to one kilometer long. They will limit the mock enemy's flank maneuvers and will help drive the enemy into a pocket of fire and destroy it, the press service said.
The Peace Mission 2021 exercise of the SCO armies, led by Central Military District Commander Alexander Lapin, began at the Donguz range in the Orenburg region on September 20. This is the first time the exercise involves a military contingent from Belarus.