SAMARA, November 21 (AVN) - The deputy commander of the Volga military district, Lieutenant-General Vladimir Popov, the chief of the district's missile troops and artillery, Major-General Valery Tsukanov, and a group of officers of the district staff's operations department left for Tajikistan on Tuesday due to sharp escalation of tensions on the border with Afghanistan, a spokesman for the district headquarters told the Military News Agency.
Popov is considered the most combat-experienced general of the district. He personally organised operations of the district's units in Chechnya during the first and second campaigns, and personally supervised them when it was necessary. In the autumn of 2000, he supervised a war game of the 201st motorised rifle division stationed in Tajikistan to cover the Russian border guard troops. The division's actions were highly praised by Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev, who said that its units had demonstrated high combat skills and readiness.
The 201st division is currently on high alert.