MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - The Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) are deploying Yars mobile systems to field positions during an exercise in Russia's internal republic of Mari El, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Personnel of the Yoshkar-Ola Missile Division [Mari El] are fulfilling tasks and assignments, which include performing intensive maneuvers on combat patrol routes," the ministry said, describing the drills as planned.
Units equipped with Yars ground-mobile missile systems are practicing marches to a distance of up to 100 kilometers, deploying the systems and changing their field positions, engineer preparations, camouflage and protection in combat, it said.
"During the maneuvers, the missile units and forces will practice dispersing across a forest area for better concealment of the Yar systems' elements," it said.
In addition, the participants in the exercise will practice counteracting mock sabotage and reconnaissance groups and removing specialized hardware from simulated chemical contamination zones, it said.
On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry also published video footage showing the Yars systems departing for drills in Mari El.
"Such routine combat training measures help perfect the skills of personnel and the cohesion of RVSN forces and military units," it said.
The Defense Ministry said earlier this summer that drills involving Yars systems had taken place in the Ivanovo and Irkutsk regions.