The Kavkaz-2020 (Caucus-2020) strategic-post drills start today with more than 80,000 participants in total; this includes combat support units, combat service support units, technical support units, air defense and naval units, as well as special troops (the Federal National Guard Troops Service and the Ministry for Emergency Situations).
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These drills will continue until 26 September on the territory of the Southern Military District, in Black and Caspian seas under the direction of Chief of the Russian General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov.
"Crews of Su-27 and Su-30SM fighter jets of the Southern Military District are on combat air defense duty at operative airfields in the Republic of Crimea, the Krasnodar, Stavropol and Rostov Regions within the strategic command post drills Kavkaz-2020," said the Russian Ministry of Defence.
The ministry also noted that military from Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar and Pakistan will take part with a total of about 1,000 military. As for observers, these include Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka.
The Ministry said today that "the Kavkaz-2020 drills will particularly focus on combating cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as on fire and electronic warfare activities against entire enemy formations, on training airborne troops’ vertical envelopment capability and ways to rapidly shift between military activities."
Up to 250 tanks, up to 450 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, up to 200 artillery systems and multiple launch rocket systems will be involved in the practical actions of the troops (forces) at the training grounds.
