On September 23, the active phase of the anti-terrorist exercises of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2021 starts at the Donguz training ground in the Orenburg region.
This is reported by the newspaper "Krasnaya Zvezda".
“The joint headquarters of the group of forces involved in the joint anti-terrorist command and control exercise (command and staff exercise.
- RT
) of the SCO countries Peace Mission 2021, completed work on the preparation of a joint anti-terrorist operation against an illegal armed group.
At joint operational meetings, the issues of management and interaction between the military contingents of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan, Belarus, as well as Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, whose units operate in separate directions, were agreed upon, ”the newspaper writes.
It is also noted that, according to the plan of the exercises, the military will stabilize the situation, carry out information blocking of the area of forthcoming actions, take measures to reduce the combat effectiveness of large formations of the imaginary enemy and destroy its stocks of materiel and ammunition.
In addition, the participants in the maneuvers will conduct offensive actions in order to defeat the terrorist group, eliminate the remaining bandit groups, and also carry out "post-conflict settlement measures," reports Krasnaya Zvezda.
As the Ministry of Defense informs, more than 5 thousand servicemen, MI-8 transport and combat helicopters, SU-24MR reconnaissance aircraft, Su-25 attack aircraft, SU-34 fighter-bombers and Il -76 and other equipment.
"The main objectives of the exercise are to improve the coherence of the command and control bodies of the coalition grouping of forces in the preparation and conduct of a joint anti-terrorist operation, to exchange experience in countering terrorism, as well as to master the basic tactics and methods of action of forces (troops) under the leadership of a joint military command and control body," the Russian Defense Ministry said. department.
Let us remind you that the joint anti-terrorist exercises of the SCO states "Peace Mission" are held every two years.
The first one took place in August 2003 in Kazakhstan and China.
Exercise Peace Mission 2021
© Ministry of Defense of Russia
"Will strengthen the military community"
The opening ceremony of the Peace Mission 2021 exercise took place on September 20.
At a rally dedicated to the beginning of the maneuvers, the commander of the Central Military District, Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, explained that the relevance of the training is due, among other things, to the aggravation of the situation in the Central Asian region.
“The military-political situation around our states is becoming more and more tense.
The end of the US military operation in Afghanistan has led to a sharp jump in the terrorist threat in our common Eurasian space.
Against the background of the seizure of power by the Taliban * in Afghanistan, the strengthening of the positions of ISIS and other international terrorist organizations, which entails the threat of their penetration into the border regions of our countries, is of particular concern, ”he said.
According to Lapin, taking into account the dynamics of the development of the situation, it is necessary not only to maintain the current interaction of the SCO, but also to consistently build it up in the field of military relations.
The commander also said that during the exercises, the servicemen are testing new methods of conducting joint military operations "taking into account the development of modern weapons and tactics of terrorist units."
"The joint anti-terrorist exercise will not only increase the level of coherence of units and strengthen the military community, but will also demonstrate to the entire world community the unity of views of the leaderships of our states on the emerging threats," Lapin said.
He also added that during the active phase of the training "the coalition group of forces will practice practical actions in five operational episodes."
As the chief of the engineering troops of the Central Military District, Major General Dmitry Koruts, explained, throughout the final stage, air and ground mobile obstacle detachments will be used to support the actions of the coalition group of forces.
At the same time, the experience of "modern armed conflicts, primarily in the Syrian Arab Republic and Nagorno-Karabakh," will be used, the military leader noted.
He also said that military engineers will work out the creation of an anti-tank ditch with an explosive length of 2 thousand meters, for the device of which about 20 tons of explosives in TNT equivalent are used.
At the beginning of the maneuvers, the military had already achieved certain results.
In particular, according to "Krasnaya Zvezda", Russian pilots carried out aerial reconnaissance of the area, destroyed the paramilitary formations of the imaginary enemy during marches into the area of fire use and bombed ground targets.
In addition, Russian crews of military transport helicopters Mi-8 in a given area made a landing of tactical assault forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, India, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan.
Exercise Peace Mission 2021
© Ministry of Defense of Russia
In addition, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the newest Linza sanitary armored vehicles will be used for the first time in the Peaceful Mission 2021 exercise.
“The first batch of 10 vehicles entered service with the peacekeeping brigade of the Guards Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District in May 2021.
Ambulances will be used during the drawing of a tactical episode of searching for and removing conditionally wounded servicemen from the battlefield, ”the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"Acting in concert"
According to Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the exercises Peaceful Mission 2021 are being held in an unstable situation in Central Asia due to the hasty withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan and will become a platform for practicing a response to possible provocations in the region.
“Despite the fact that the Taliban are now trying to conduct peaceful rhetoric and are taking steps towards the international community and the SCO countries in particular, the actions of this force are not so predictable and transparent.
In addition, in the region, due to the aggravation of the situation, terrorist groups have become more active, which can pose a danger to the members of the organization.
Therefore, carrying out maneuvers, taking into account all these circumstances, is extremely necessary and very useful, ”the expert emphasized.
Andrey Koshkin, a member of the Russian Academy of Military Sciences, adheres to a similar position.
“The SCO countries show that they are ready for the increased danger from terrorist groups.
If we assume that this threat will be in the form of a power component, then during the maneuvers all forces and means are mobilized to stop it.
In addition, there is a coordination of actions, preparation for a possible reflection of a military threat from terrorists, "the analyst said in a commentary on RT.
According to Kozyulin, during the exercise, the fulfillment of logistic tasks takes a special place.
“The transfer of people, equipment, coordination of transport routes - all this needs to be established before any incident occurs that requires a prompt response.
Another important aspect that maneuvers assume is building a high-level communication and coordination system, coordination of actions, ”the analyst said.
Such a serious approach suggests that Russia and its SCO partners are responsible for security on the territory of their countries and in Central Asia as a whole, Kozyulin said.
“And it is already clear that they will do everything to maintain peace in the region.
The teachings, and especially their active phase, are built taking into account the worst scenario for the development of events.
This, of course, may not happen, but you have to be ready for anything, and this is what the SCO military is doing now, ”he said.
Exercise Peace Mission 2021
© Ministry of Defense of Russia
As Kozyulin summarized, the Peace Mission 2021 multinational exercises demonstrate that all SCO countries are ready to invest in ensuring regional security.
“Russia and its partners are sympathetic to the need to pursue a coordinated policy in the military sphere.
They act in concert, and terrorist groups must take this into account when they take any action, ”the analyst concluded.
* "Taliban" - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.