Special tactical exercises to test the readiness of troops to localize emergency situations associated with the spread of viral infections are held at training grounds in the Western and Central military districts. This was reported in the Russian Ministry of Defense.
March 27, after preparatory measures, practical actions began in the Central Military District (Central Military District). The day before, exercises began in the Western Military District (Western Military District).
According to the agency, in two districts, maneuvers will take place at seven training grounds. It is noted that the purpose of the training is to work out a complex of "quarantine and medical measures, as well as disinfection of the area and objects."
The exercises involved units of the aerospace forces, strategic missile forces, radiation, chemical and biological defense forces, engineering troops and medical support organizations.
It is planned that the military will work out medical and evacuation tasks, sanitary and anti-epidemic measures, as well as measures to organize accommodation and meals in the field.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to check the military command and control agencies, a number of formations, and military units of the country's Armed Forces for their readiness to combat COVID-19 coronavirus infection.
Also during the audit, the task is to analyze the transport capabilities of the military department to transport the necessary forces and equipment to remote areas "to provide assistance to patients and to implement a set of quarantine and medical measures."
- Russian military
- © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Recall that the outbreak of COVID-19 was recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December 2019. Today, outside of China, the disease has been reported in patients in more than 190 countries. On March 11, the World Health Organization announced the coronavirus pandemic. According to WHO, as of March 26, in total, the disease was confirmed in more than 509 thousand people, more than 23 thousand people died. In Russia, 1036 cases of coronavirus disease were detected, 45 people recovered, four died.
“Part of the response mechanism”
As the editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Viktor Murakhovsky noted in an interview with RT, a comprehensive check of the readiness of the Russian Armed Forces to withstand the spread of coronavirus infection is an extremely important measure.
“At the same time, the corresponding exercises help the military to be prepared always and everywhere for such a threat as a pandemic. The military now faces the task of controlling the situation and preventing an emergency in the country, ”the expert said.
Murakhovsky also added that measures aimed at checking the armed forces are part of the response mechanism to the outbreak of COVID-19, which was developed by the Russian authorities.
“Within the framework of this mechanism, the Ministry of Defense will also create 16 modular infection centers in hospitals in Russia, which will be ready to address the treatment of patients with coronavirus,” the analyst added.
Murakhovsky also said that the military, in carrying out actions to combat the coronavirus, strictly adhere to the precautionary rules.
“The military is trying not to contact the local authorities and civilian specialists in order to avoid infection of the military personnel,” he said.
In turn, military expert Viktor Litovkin added that in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces "there is an ongoing check for coronavirus infection."
“Moreover, the military is isolated from the civilian population in order to prevent the spread of infection,” the analyst said in an interview with RT.
Necessary measures
After the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, the military personnel began to check the readiness of their units to localize emergency situations associated with the occurrence of a threat of infection and the spread of viral infections.
Since March 25, operational headquarters have been deployed in the Central Military District on the basis of the Ekaterinburg, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Samara, Saratov and Chelyabinsk territorial garrisons.
“At the headquarters, work is underway to clarify the composition of the combined detachments to deal with the consequences of emergencies, plans for observational and quarantine measures in the areas where troops are deployed at the training grounds, organizing interaction with the territorial bodies of federal executive authorities, and preparing a specialized barracks fund for hospitalizing conditionally ill military personnel,” reports the press service of the Ministry of Defense.
- Russian military
- © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
At the same time, it became known about the creation of groups of “necessary forces and means” to solve similar problems in four regions of the Western Military District (ZVO). About 1 thousand military personnel, more than 200 units of military and special equipment, including engineering and technical mobile chemical protection complexes, degassing military kits, automatic filling stations ARS-14KM, heat treatment machines of special processing equipment TMS-65U, field complexes, were involved in the verification activities laboratories KLP-10.
On March 26, in four regions of the Western Military District, the radiation, chemical, and biological defense forces of the Russian Armed Forces (RKhBZ) conducted reconnaissance of the routes of convoys of military equipment.
“The mobile posts of the Russian Chechen Republic of Chemistry and Defense with the use of chemical reconnaissance machines RKhM-6 in personal protective equipment have taken air, water and soil samples to detect conditional contamination of the terrain along convoy routes in the Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and Kursk Regions,” the Ministry of Defense website reported.
It is noted that these samples were transferred to the calculations of the KLP-10 field laboratory complexes. If a conditional virus is detected, the boundaries of its distribution should be printed on an electronic map, which, in turn, will be available online to commanders of almost all levels - "from the platoon to the commander of the military district."
“Only after assessing the level of infection, the military equipment of the group begins to march to the training grounds to complete tasks,” the defense department informs.
On the same day, five mobile centers for epidemic intelligence were deployed at the training grounds of the Central Military District. It is noted that epidemiological calculations carry out "quarantine measures for troop deployment areas." In addition, a check is underway of the readiness of medical institutions in the garrisons of the Central Military District to transfer to an enhanced anti-epidemic regime.
“In total, 44 medical and nursing and specialized teams have been formed and are ready to carry out combat training tasks,” the defense department reports.
In turn, a field hospital was deployed near Yekaterinburg. When maneuvering, it is planned to use a medical laboratory diagnostic module, capable of conducting up to 1.5 thousand radiological, fluorographic and ultrasound examinations per day. It also includes pre-dressing and dressing, operating, resuscitation, intensive care module and a mobile complex of medical care.
- RCHBZ mobile posts conduct reconnaissance of military equipment convoy routes in the Western Military District
- © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
On March 27, radio-electronic warfare specialists from the Central Military District conducted exercises aimed at covering the area of conditional chemical contamination and the location of the military field hospital. The military accomplished this task by “setting up radio interference using the Field-21 electronic warfare system.”
“Practical actions are carried out at a training ground near Yekaterinburg. Having interfered, the EW specialists created an impenetrable dome that counteracts forces and means of guidance and reconnaissance, using binding to global radio navigation and satellite systems, ”the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"High degree of readiness"
According to Viktor Murakhovsky, measures taken by the Russian authorities and the military leadership of the country indicate that Russia is responsible for the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
“At this stage, the main thing is preventive measures. To hit the tail, as Western countries do, is an afterthought, it’s wrong. Russia, however, began to act proactively in a timely manner. No wonder the day before, the WHO noted that Moscow was the fastest to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic. The Russian Federation is now acting most effectively in this direction, ”the expert emphasized.
At the same time, Murakhovsky said that such measures "should give a positive result."
“It is quite possible that mass involvement of the armed forces for the protection and treatment of the population will not be required in the end. However, you need to bring preparedness to the highest level. And according to the first results of the audit, we see that the Russian troops are really capable of performing such tasks, ”the analyst added.
Murakhovsky also recalled that the armed forces are an extremely important element in the system of combating the biological threat.
“The Russian Ministry of Defense has a significant contingent, specialized equipment, and qualified medical intelligence. Military structures can massively disinfect structures, vehicles and people, as well as treat a large flow of patients, ”the expert explained.
Viktor Litovkin also pointed to the high degree of readiness of the Russian Armed Forces to combat the spread of coronavirus infection.
“Russia has 15 military laboratories of the radiation, chemical and biological protection service, one of which was sent to help Italy. In addition, the Russian side has more than 2 thousand units of disinfection machines and about 20 thousand specialized specialists. Of course, the Italian and Chinese experience in the fight against coronavirus will also be used in the current exercises, ”the analyst said.
Litovkin emphasized that Russian experts “have vast experience in combating various epidemics.”
“In Africa and Southeast Asia, for example, they worked to eliminate the consequences of the Ebola epidemic. So all this experience has been accumulated and will be used to combat current threats, ”the expert concluded.