MAKHACHKALA. Aug 5 (Interfax-AVN) - Marines of the Caspian Flotilla will practice on operation to destroy an illegal armed formation driven to the seashore in the framework of the flotilla's ongoing training voyage, Flotilla Commander Vice Admiral Vladimir Masorin told reporters on Sunday.
Masorin inspected the dress rehearsal of the exercise in landing a marine brigade on the seashore. The exercise will take place in the framework of the training voyage.
The initial mission is to take in rear the large illegal armed formation that is driven to the seashore by the troops of the North Caucasus military district, Masorin said.
"This scenario is quite real. Taking into account efforts of the federal troops group in the Chechen Republic, an attempt of bandit formations to break through to the plains is quite possible. Moreover, in the wake of reinforcement of controls on the southern section of the state border the sea remains a way to deliver materiel and mercenaries from the Middle East to the Caucasus," the vice admiral said.
The rehearsal involved a division of air cushion vessels, the 77th marine brigade, the 136th motorized rifle brigade of the North Caucasus military district, units of elite police, the Interior Ministry and the Federal Border Guard Service.
The exercise in landing on the seashore will take place on Saturday. It will be inspected by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov.
The Russian and Azerbaijani Navies will hold a joint exercise in the framework of the training voyage on August 13, Masorin said.
The war games will involve aviation groups of the Kazakh Air Force, he added.