CHITA. July 28 (Interfax-AVN) - A tactical exercise with live firing has started at a permanent-readiness motorized rifle brigade of the Siberian military district, chief of the district's press service Colonel Valery Shcheblanin said on Monday.
"The exercise that will be in progress until August 1 is taking place against the complicated tactical background, for which the entire brigade was deployed to the Yurgino military range, where it will practice the offensive and defensive, live firing from regular weapons, and stream crossing on the run," Shcheblanin told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The exercise supervised by joint-arms army commander Major General Sergei Bunin is aimed at checking the brigade's readiness for actions in an emergency period, improving the skills of mission accomplishment in field conditions, advancing the personnel's morale, and teaching them to conduct a modern joint- arms warfare, the official said.
The war games are peculiar for "being a link of the entire set of field training of the Siberian military district troops," he stressed.
District commander Colonel General Nikolai Makarov will control the key stages of the exercise.
The Zvenigorod-Berlin guard motorized rifle brigade was involved in the anti-guerilla operation in the North Caucasus for a long time. Ten out of 12 battalion commanders taking part in the exercise have combat experience and state awards for actions in combat environment," Shcheblanin added.