KHANKALA, February 26 (AVN) - The regiment-size task force set up on the basis of the 7th airborne division will start relocation from here to southern Chechnya on Monday, a spokesman for the unified federal headquarters in the North Caucasus told the Military News Agency.
The task force has arrived from the city of Novorossiysk on the Russian Black Sea shore, the spokesman said. It will be airlifted by MI-28 Havoc transport helicopters, as well as by MI-8 Hip and MI-24 Hind fire support helicopters. A total of 600 officers, warrant officers and soldiers of the 108th paratrooper regiment and a separate artillery battery of the 7th airborne division will be delivered to the Tsentroi village.
The operation is supervised by Colonel Yuri Stremoukhov, deputy commander of the unified federal group in charge of the airborne, the spokesman said. The new shift of paratroopers will replace the regiment-size task force of the 247th airborne regiment. Military equipment and heavy ordnance will not be replaced.
The airborne troops rotation has been in progress since January 30, 2001, following an order of Russian Chief-of-Staff Anatoly Kvashnin.