From 11 to 18 September, the troops of the Eastern Military District (VVO) took part in a surprise check of combat readiness. The Vostok-2014 strategic command and staff exercise started the day after the completion of the check. These maneuvers have become one of the largest in recent years. About 150 thousand soldiers and officers were involved in the performance of combat training tasks at 20 training grounds of the Air Defense Forces. In addition, 120 aircraft, 1,500 tanks, about 5,000 units of military and special equipment, as well as almost 70 ships were involved in the exercises. The Ministry of Defense said that the Vostok-2014 exercise is the last such event this year, in which all formations, as well as headquarters at all levels, were involved.
In addition to the Air Defense Forces, servicemen from the Western Military District took part in the Vostok-2014 exercise. On the first day of the exercise, motorized rifle and tank formations were alerted and marched to the loading airfields. The ZVO units involved in the exercises were deployed to the place where training tasks were performed by military transport aircraft. The servicemen had to cover more than 6 thousand kilometers. It is noteworthy that tankers and motorized riflemen were sent to training ranges without weapons and equipment. They received the material part at the bases of the Air Defense Forces. Having received the equipment, the units went to the training grounds, where they began to perform the assigned tasks.
Aviation was to play an important role in the exercises. The Air Force was entrusted with the task of providing air support for the interspecific groupings of the Air Defense Forces. Aircraft of various types and for different purposes were involved in the exercises. The training targets were to be attacked by Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS bombers, their work was provided by Il-78 tankers. Transport missions were performed by An-12 and Il-76 aircraft, and A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft were coordinating the actions of the Air Force. The Mi-8, Mi-24 and Ka-52 helicopters, the Su-24 and Su-34 front-line bombers, the Su-25 attack aircraft, as well as several types of fighters were engaged in direct support of the troops at the training grounds in the battles with the mock enemy. In particular, the latest Su-34 and Su-35S aircraft were used during the exercise.
On the first day of the exercises, the ship groups of the Pacific Fleet went to sea. On September 19, more than 10 sea and base minesweepers, as well as about 15 large and small anti-submarine ships, began to practice the search and sweeping of mines. The testing ground for this episode of the exercises was the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. In the search for mine-laying, surface ships interacted with submarines and naval aviation. While searching for mines, the ships constantly transmitted information about the results of their work to the headquarters of the exercises. On the night of Saturday, September 20, the ships of the Pacific Fleet began to practice the defense of the coast.
On Saturday, the airborne forces, which arrived at the training grounds from Buryatia and the Primorsky Territory, began to carry out the tasks. They began to practice exploration using vehicles and sea vessels. The paratroopers studied the situation at possible landing sites for other airborne forces, and also practiced landing in a given area.
Another episode of exercises with the participation of ships of the Pacific Fleet began on Saturday. This time, the task of the sailors was to work out the interaction of the diverse groupings of the Pacific Fleet. In addition, the crews began to train to carry out anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and anti-sabotage defense of basing points and ships in an unprotected roadstead. Also, training of officers of the watch was carried out, testing of damage control and some other training activities.
By the evening of September 19, the deployment of all elements of the united communications system of the armed forces was completed. Signalers deployed and prepared for operation about 60 field communication centers and command posts. Fixed communication lines were additionally reinforced with field systems and complexes. According to the Ministry of Defense, for the first time in a strategic command and staff exercise, elements of all echelons of the united automated digital communications system of the armed forces were deployed.
In addition to controlling the actions of troops, automated systems were used for the work of other structures. To provide the units with the necessary resources in the logistics system, special automated means were used. The used control complex "Svetlitsa" allows you to determine the consumption of ammunition and other resources, as well as to predict their required amount. Thanks to this complex, timely full-fledged supply of units with everything necessary is ensured.
On September 20, aircraft and helicopters of the Air Force began active operations. Thus, the Mi-8 and Mi-24 army aviation helicopters carried out the mining of the given areas, and also began to land troops and support ground units. At the same time, fighters began to cover the forces of the Pacific Fleet in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. Soon, planes and helicopters of other units, which received other orders, joined the execution of combat training tasks.
On Saturday, the chief of the Rocket Forces and Artillery of the Ground Forces, Major General Mikhail Matvievsky, spoke about the use of new weapons in the exercises. On the morning of September 20, the ground forces missile brigade received an order to move to a training ground in the Jewish Autonomous Region. Upon arrival at the position, the servicemen trained Iskander M missile systems, and then launched missiles at training targets. All targets were successfully hit.
On September 21, the training and combat work of the air force continued. All the planes and helicopters involved in the Vostok-2014 exercises began combat duty at the airfields of the VVO. On Saturday, all aircraft participating in the maneuvers were relocated to airfields in the eastern regions of the country. Shortly thereafter, MiG-31 fighters began patrolling the airspace in the areas of the ranges, and Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft began collecting information about the situation.
On Sunday, several Tu-95MS bombers took off from the Ukrainka airbase, made a four-hour flight to the missile launch site and attacked training targets using cruise missiles. The missiles were launched in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk and successfully hit their targets at the Kura training ground in Kamchatka. During this flight, Tu-95MS bombers helped to train the crews of the MiG-31 interceptors. Several missiles launched by bombers played the role of simulated enemy ammunition. Interceptors found them, escorted them, and then destroyed them.
Also on Sunday, the helicopter pilots of the Air Defense Forces set a new record. 16 Mi-8AMTSh helicopters took off from the airfield on Iturup Island (Kuril Islands) and headed for the Elizovo airfield (Kamchatka). The flight lasted about six hours, the helicopters covered more than 1,300 kilometers. Before the record-breaking flight, the helicopters were equipped with additional fuel tanks, which significantly increased their range, according to the Defense Ministry.
By September 21, about 30 ships and vessels of the Pacific Fleet completed their exit to the specified areas of the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. After that, the command of the naval group received an order to withdraw forces from the attack of a simulated enemy in the near and far sea zones. On Sunday, the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the guards missile cruiser Varyag, joined the active operations. After a series of trainings, the ship left Avacha Bay and headed to the area where the shooting practice was to be performed.
The exercise plan provided for episodes in which engineering troops were to take part. Military engineers carried out the evacuation of the population from the areas where there was a simulated flood as soon as possible. Several bridges were installed and several other types of crossings were built. A field camp with all the necessary infrastructure was set up to accommodate the conditionally injured. At the Vostok-2014 exercises, the engineering troops were represented by several hundred soldiers and about 60 units of special equipment.
The military departments of several neighboring states were notified about the Vostok-2014 exercises. In addition, 40 military attaches from 30 countries were invited. For example, on September 23, experts from China, North Korea, Malaysia, Venezuela and other countries watched the episode of the exercises in the area of Cape Skalisty.
As part of the Vostok-2014 exercises, the training camp of reservists took place. About 6 thousand people were called up to participate in several episodes of the maneuvers. Within a few days, they restored skills in their specialties, and also carried out coordination. The reservists performed assigned tasks side by side with the soldiers and officers currently serving.
On Tuesday, September 23, a training session of the S-300PS anti-aircraft missile systems took place. One of the ships of the Pacific Fleet launched the Malachite missile, which became a target for anti-aircraft gunners. The calculations of the air defense missile system had to work in difficult conditions, since the interception of the missile was carried out on a catch-up course. In this case, the target missile is in the zone of destruction of anti-aircraft systems for no more than a minute, and the calculation has only a few seconds left for its detection, identification and destruction.
On September 23, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported on the progress of the exercises in the Arctic. Thus, training sessions of the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile-gun systems were carried out. Coastal missile system "Rubezh" launched a missile, which was intercepted by anti-aircraft gunners. The large anti-submarine ship "Admiral Levchenko" conducted live firing of the "Dagger" anti-aircraft missile system. A tactical airborne assault force was landed on Wrangel Island, consisting of the 83rd separate airborne assault brigade of the Airborne Forces and the 155th separate marine brigade of the Pacific Fleet. In addition, on Wrangel Island and Cape Schmidt, radar stations and aviation guidance points were deployed and put on duty.
On September 24, the ships and submarines of the Pacific Fleet, including its flagship Varyag, launched a missile attack on the mock enemy. Anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles of several types were used for target shooting. At the same time, naval aviation and the crews of ground air defense systems attacked the air of a simulated enemy.
The largest episode of the Vostok-2014 exercise was scheduled for Thursday 25 September. One of the main episodes of this day was to take place at the Baranovsky training ground. As part of this episode, the forces of a separate motorized rifle brigade of the Air Defense Forces worked out the conduct of defense and the implementation of a counterattack on hilly terrain in adverse weather conditions. The brigade involved in this episode had about one thousand servicemen and more than 150 units of various equipment. The brigade was supported from the air by more than ten attack aircraft and helicopters. The brigade, transferred from the Jewish Autonomous Region, successfully coped with the defense and the subsequent defeat of the conditional enemy.
The Air Force completed its combat training missions on the night of September 26. The AWACS A-50 aircraft detected an unknown aircraft that violated the country's airspace, the role of which was played by a Tu-22M3 bomber. On alarm, a pair of MiG-31 interceptors was raised, which discovered the intruder and forced him to sit down at the Yelizovo airfield. An important feature of this training was the fact that the crew of the conditional intruder received a flight task immediately before departure and remained radio silent during the flight. Thus, this episode of the exercises made it possible to test the real capabilities of the Air Force.
On Friday September 26, after the completion of the exercise, the troops involved in them began marching to the loading sites. Further, by rail and using military transport aircraft, all units went to their bases. Combat aircraft and helicopters flew to their airfields, and naval ships regrouped in accordance with combat training plans.
Even before the end of the Vostok-2014 exercise, the leadership of the armed forces made several important statements. On September 23, Defense Minister S. Shoigu, summing up the results of the recent surprise check of the troops, spoke about the state and prospects of the troops. The minister noted that the surprise inspection showed a high level of training of the leadership, but at the same time revealed some unresolved issues. The audit showed that the system for supporting the actions of troops in remote regions needs further improvement. Particular emphasis should be placed on the development of military infrastructure and stockpiling of materiel.
The minister was forced to admit that not all responsible persons took into account the results of last year's West-2013 maneuvers. Thus, due to the unpreparedness of the Sakhalin Oblast leadership to call up reservists, it was not possible to provide the required number of participants in the training camp. The missing personnel were mobilized in other regions. Without waiting for the end of the exercises, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and a number of other departments began to analyze the results of the sudden inspection, draw the necessary conclusions, and also prepare to eliminate existing problems.
