In the afternoon of February 26, the first surprise check of the combat readiness of the troops started this year. This time, units of the Western and Central Military Districts, as well as some other formations, were raised on alert. It was immediately announced that the exercise would last until March 3. For six days of testing, the units had to show their skills and abilities. As before, a sudden check of combat readiness will help the military department find out the real capabilities of the units involved in it and draw appropriate conclusions.
As the press service of the Ministry of Defense reported, the check was carried out in two stages. During the first, on February 26 and 27, the units participating in the exercises were planned to be brought to a state of full combat readiness. From February 28 to March 3, the second part of the check took place, in which units of the Western and Central military districts took part in operational and tactical exercises. The 6th and 20th armies of the Western Military District and the 2nd Army of the Central Military District were involved in the maneuvers. In addition, the command of the airborne troops, aerospace defense forces, long-range and military transport aviation, the Baltic and Northern fleets took part in the check.
About 150 thousand servicemen took part in the sudden check of combat readiness. The events involved 90 aircraft, 120 helicopters, more than 850 tanks, 80 ships and vessels, as well as over 1200 units of auxiliary equipment. About two days were allocated for the transfer of personnel with weapons and equipment to the training grounds used in maneuvers. At the end of the check, all units should return to their bases by March 7th.
Shortly after the announcement of the start of the surprise check of combat readiness, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense made several important statements. The head of the military department S. Shoigu noted that the current exercises have nothing to do with the Ukrainian events. A little later, Deputy Defense Minister A. Antonov said that the plans for the event had been prepared in advance. In addition, according to Antonov, the Defense Ministry does not believe that the situation in the neighboring state is a reason to postpone the inspection to a later date.
In accordance with the existing agreements, Russia informed the NATO leadership about the planned exercises. As the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, the Russian side warned NATO about the beginning of the check. In addition, the leadership of the Alliance does not link training events with events in various regions of Ukraine.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Defense, after the first day after the announcement of the order to start the inspection, the overwhelming majority of the occupied units went to the places of maneuvers. In the transfer of personnel and equipment, the railway and military transport aircraft were used. In addition, the ships of the Baltic and Northern fleets went to sea ranges.
On the night of February 28, one of the first combat training operations took place as part of a surprise check of combat readiness. The large landing ship "Alexander Otrakovsky" has landed a landing party of the Marine Corps on the unequipped coast of Gryaznaya Bay (Murmansk Region). Fifteen armored vehicles and about a hundred marines at night successfully landed in a given area.
On Friday, February 28, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral V. Chirkov, arrived in Severomorsk. At the headquarters of the Northern Fleet, the commander-in-chief heard reports from the leaders of this operational-strategic formation and made several statements. Admiral Chirkov remained in Severomorsk and began to lead the active phase of the exercises in the Barents Sea and off the coast of the Kola Peninsula.
Several training episodes took place in the Barents Sea. So, on February 28, the small missile ship "Iceberg", tug MB-100 and killer KIL-122 discovered and freed a ship captured by a mock enemy. In addition, a group of rescue vessels began a training search and rescue operation on the same day. The sailors of the Northern Fleet were supposed to find and provide assistance to the conditional victims.
On February 28, engineering units of the Western Military District began to carry out training assignments. According to the legend of the exercise episode, a highly toxic fuel was spilled at one of the landfills. The situation is complicated by the abundant rainfall, due to which the depth of the snow cover has grown to two meters. During the three days of the exercise, engineering units had to eliminate the consequences of the spill, make passes in the contaminated area and establish the extraction and purification of water in the field.
By Friday evening, the 76th Guards Airborne Division arrived at the designated exercise area. For the transfer of the unit from Pskov to the Leningrad Region, 60 helicopters of several types and 20 Il-76 military transport aircraft were used. Arriving at the designated area, the 76th Guards Airborne Division proceeded to equip the temporary deployment point.
On March 1, ships of the Northern and Baltic Fleets received similar training assignments. The sailors and pilots of the Northern Fleet were supposed to find a simulated enemy submarine and force it to surface using depth charges. According to the Ministry of Defense, during this stage of maneuvers, Tu-142 and Il-38 aircraft and Ka-27PL helicopters were supposed to find a mock enemy and transmit information about him to anti-submarine ships. The ships Brest and Snezhnogorsk were involved in the operation to locate the submarine.
In addition, on Saturday, ships and naval aviation of the Baltic Fleet were involved in a training anti-submarine operation. According to the assignment, the sailors and pilots were supposed to detect the submarines of the imaginary enemy and track their movements. By evening, the small anti-submarine ships "Kalmykia" and "Aleksin" attacked the mock enemy and successfully destroyed him.
On the same day, the Baltic sailors freed the ship, which had been captured by a group of "pirates". Unknown ships of the mock enemy blocked the ship, to which the ships of the Baltic Fleet came to the rescue. The blocked vessel and the conditional enemy were detected by helicopters of the naval aviation. The helicopters reconnoitered the situation and opened warning fire. The ships that arrived at the scene of the training incident demanded that the invaders surrender, but they refused. Warning fire from large-caliber machine guns and 30-mm anti-aircraft machine guns put an end to the conditional seizure of the vessel.
On Saturday, a simulated intruder appeared in the airspace of Karelia. The aircraft, flying with the identification systems turned off and observing radio silence, was detected by ground-based air defense systems, after which duty Su-27 fighters rose to intercept. The fighters approached the conditional intruder, after which they forced him to follow them to one of the airfields.
On March 2, the press service of the Ministry of Defense spoke about the successes of the military signalmen. To ensure communications and command and control of troops at all levels, a single autonomous multi-level data transmission system was created. This system included all units involved in the surprise check of combat readiness. With the help of the deployed network of communications, the interaction of units of the Western and Central military districts, the Northern and Baltic fleets, the air command and other associations was ensured.
On Sunday, a field hospital of the Podolsk special-purpose medical unit was deployed in the Arkhangelsk region. Before the deployment of the hospital, military medics covered over 800 kilometers. First, they arrived at the Chkalovsky airfield, located more than 70 km from the place of permanent deployment. Then six Il-76 military transport aircraft transferred fifty military medics and 15 units of special equipment to the Arkhangelsk region, after which the medical detachment had to overcome several more kilometers of the way to the hospital deployment site. According to the introductory exercise, the employees of the Podolsk special medical detachment were supposed to provide assistance to the conditional victims of the man-made disaster.
Also on March 2, maneuvers took place at the Shary training ground (Kola Peninsula). A separate motorized rifle brigade of the coastal forces of the Northern Fleet successfully organized the defense and took on the blow of the mock enemy. Over 500 servicemen and several dozen pieces of equipment were able to stop the enemy's advance and, leading a maneuverable defense, lure him into a fire sack. Artillery and tank subunits with massed fire completed the rout of the simulated enemy. During this episode of the exercise, the military had to operate in the Arctic, which, among other things, led to the need to equip trenches in the permafrost.
During the sudden check of the combat readiness of the troops, much attention was paid to the issues of the moral and psychological state of the personnel. For example, servicemen received a set of leaflets describing methods of increasing attention and working capacity, as well as getting rid of a stressful state. The propaganda brigades of the officers' houses of the Central Military District took part in raising the morale of the formations participating in the exercises. In a few days, the brigades gave four concerts. Assistant commanders for work with religious servicemen were involved in working with the personnel. Finally, points began to work in the military camps, providing various assistance to the families of soldiers and officers.
On March 3, combat training began at the ranges of the Baltic Fleet in the Kaliningrad region. Units of the coastal troops of the Baltic Fleet used all available types of small arms, grenade launchers, etc. In addition, the crews of BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and T-72 tanks, crews of artillery guns, self-propelled guns and multiple launch rocket systems took part in the shooting. Servicemen of the coastal forces of the Baltic Fleet trained to destroy enemy personnel and equipment. The training activities of ground units were supported by aviation.
At the Baltic naval ranges, the ships fired at surface and air targets using barreled and missile weapons. Also, the ships of the Baltic Fleet trained in the setting of minefields and the use of depth charges.
The current surprise check of the combat readiness of the troops has become the next such event in the past few months. For example, servicemen of the Eastern Military District took part in similar exercises last summer. The practice of conducting surprise checks has worked well. Such events make it possible not only to arrange training of personnel in the conditions of the training ground, but also to check the level of their training. In addition, a sudden announcement of a combat alert and the transfer of troops to training ranges located far from their permanent bases helps to test the capabilities of several combat arms at the same time.
Previous surprise troop inspections have resulted in a series of measures aimed at enhancing the capabilities of certain units. Based on the results of the current exercises, the Ministry of Defense will again draw appropriate conclusions and take the necessary measures. In the meantime, the main task is to return the units to their bases. As reported in the first days of the inspection, the servicemen and equipment will return home by March 7.
