MOSCOW. Aug 22 (Interfax-AVN) - The Airborne Force grouping within the Combined Federal Forces in the North Caucasus suffered the past year's worst losses as a result of the Thursday terrorist attack in the village of Petropavlovsky near Grozny, Airborne Commander Georgy Shpak told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"The bandit car bomb blast killed eight sergeants and privates of the 51st paratrooper regiment and injured three more paratroopers. One of them is an officer, Senior Lieutenant Igor Davydov, who is a deputy company commander for education. I had to cut short my vacation and return to the staff," Shpak said.
Paratroopers have not suffered such losses in Chechnya since the destruction of the 6th paratrooper company of the 104th paratrooper regiment near the village of Ulus-Kert on March 1, 2000, he stressed.
Shpak said that the command of the 51st regiment headquartered in Tula is doing its best to notify parents of the deceased soldiers on the events in Chechnya.
"Even though the headquarters of the 106th airborne division is involved in a strategic command post exercise, division commander Major General Yevgeny Savilov is following my instructions and personally dealing with the problems related to the parents' notification and upcoming funeral of the paratroopers," he said.
Shpak stressed that all possible measures are being taken in the paratroopers' areas of responsibility in southern Chechnya to prevent terrorist attacks.