Large-scale exercises of the Airborne Forces are taking place in Crimea.

As specified in the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, they involve the airborne assault and artillery regiments of the Novorossiysk Guards Airborne Assault Mountain Formation of the Airborne Forces.

The maneuvers will last three days and will take place at the Opuk training ground in the eastern part of the peninsula.

"The units will work out the conduct of the defense, during which they will carry out combat firing exercises with fire from the standard weapons of military equipment, together with anti-aircraft missile, anti-tank, flamethrower, artillery and sniper units," the agency reports.

About 2 thousand servicemen and more than one hundred units of military and special equipment are taking part in the exercises.

The maneuvers began with a march on BMD-4M airborne combat vehicles and BTR-MDM "Shell" armored personnel carriers to the place of mission execution.

The military will train the organization of maneuverable defense in the daytime and at night, and at the final stage of the exercise they will practice offensive actions with the support of T-72B3 tanks, 2S9 Nona-S self-propelled artillery guns and 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

The paratroopers will have various types of weapons, including AK-12 assault rifles, Pecheneg and Kord machine guns, RPG-7D grenade launchers, RPO-A Bumblebee flamethrowers, AGS-30 automatic 30-mm grenade launchers and sniper weapons.

  • BMD-4M airborne combat vehicle

  • RIA News

  • © Konstantin Morozov

The light tracked vehicle BMD-4M can overcome water obstacles, is distinguished by high firepower and mobility, as well as adaptability to various climatic conditions.

It is designed for seven people (three crew members and four paratroopers), equipped with a 100-mm 2A70 gun, a 30-mm 2A72 automatic cannon and a 7.62-mm PKTM machine gun.

The combat vehicle can be dropped from transport aircraft together with personnel.

As for the armored personnel carrier BTR-MDM "Shell", experts point out that it performs transport tasks: it transports up to 13 troops, ammunition, spare parts and fuels and lubricants.

Therefore, the Shell is armed with only two PKT machine guns.

“This vehicle protects servicemen from various effects of small arms and fragmentation weapons.

It is the same high-speed and goes in the same ranks with the BMD-4M, it allows not only to ensure a quick transfer of troops over a certain distance, but also to contain the enemy's manpower with the help of weapons, to provide fire support, "military expert Alexei Leonkov explained in a commentary on RT.

In turn, military expert Yuri Knutov emphasized that both the BMD-4M and the BTR-MDM have improved communications, control, and the ability to interact with other systems thanks to automated control.

“The use of this kind of technology allows paratroopers to land behind enemy lines, deliver a crushing blow and hold positions until the main forces arrive.

Not a single country in the world has such equipment in its landing troops, "said the interlocutor of RT.

According to Alexei Leonkov, the launched exercises are planned, and within their framework, the tasks of conducting defense and the use of all standard types of weapons should be worked out.

“Now a large-scale test is underway as to how the paratroopers own all types of weapons as part of the Airborne Forces and whether they are capable of performing large-scale missions.

Combat coordination and automated command and control system of the Airborne Forces, which is considered one of the most advanced command and control systems, are also being worked out, ”the expert added.

Unambiguous maneuvers

The exercises of the Airborne Forces are taking place against the background of more frequent maneuvers of the Ukrainian military, in particular near the Crimea.

So, on September 22, the press service of the Joint Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the calculations of the Hurricane multiple launch rocket systems carried out “conditional firing” at the coordinates provided to them by the drone operators.

Earlier, Ukrainian pilots of the naval aviation brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted training flights with live fire at a training ground in the Kherson region, which borders the Crimea.

In particular, the crews of the involved Mi-8 helicopters launched unguided missiles and dropped bombs at specified targets, and the Mi-14PCh worked out a radar search for a simulated enemy submarine and tactical bombing.

In early July, the Ukrainian military, as part of the Sea Breeze - 2021 exercise, took part in joint tactical training with the Americans, which took place at the Oleshkovsky Peski training ground near Crimea.

Then the tactical group worked out raid operations behind enemy lines.

Against the background of the buildup of foreign military presence at the borders of Russia, the Minister of Defense of the country Sergei Shoigu expressed serious concern about the "tendency towards increased military confrontation in the European zone."

“The forward presence of NATO is growing near the borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.

The military infrastructure is being improved, stocks of materiel, weapons and military equipment are being created, routes for the transfer of troops are being worked out, ”Shoigu said at a meeting of the defense ministers of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

  • US Navy missile destroyer Arleigh Burke USS Porter in the Black Sea

  • Reuters

  • © Ukrainian Defense Ministry

Shoigu also noted that the West refuses to constructively consider Moscow's proposals to de-escalate tensions.

According to the head of the defense department, initiatives to divert exercise areas from the line of contact and to impose a moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and shorter-range missiles in Europe are being ignored.

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov also noted that the activity of the North Atlantic Alliance near the borders of Russia obliges Moscow to take measures to ensure its own security.

Moreover, as Peskov emphasized, NATO does not hide who its main adversary is and accordingly "makes up the scenarios" of its exercises.

At the same time, Western representatives continue to express concern about the presence of Russian troops in Crimea.

In particular, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previously criticized Russia for building up military power on the peninsula and actively deploying forces in the Black Sea region.

According to him, "NATO is responding to this by strengthening its presence on land, at sea and in the air." 

In turn, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the end of August, at a joint briefing with the heads of Poland, Romania and Moldova, spoke in favor of strengthening the presence of forces and assets of NATO member states in the Black Sea region and expanding programs, joint exercises and training.

According to Alexei Leonkov, Washington and its allies will continue to complain about any actions by Moscow in Crimea.

“The United States hoped that after the coup d'etat in Ukraine, they would receive a peninsula for their bases, so that they would have a unique strategic advantage.

But this did not happen, so NATO now only has to play out various scenarios with regard to Crimea in its exercises, ”the analyst emphasized.

Under pressure

Experts point out that the current Russian exercises are of a purely defensive nature and are designed to prevent various scenarios of the military development of events in Crimea.

As Yuri Knutov noted, in view of the active expansion of NATO, Russia needs to take measures to be ready to fight back in case of negative developments.

Moreover, strategic command and staff exercises with the participation of NATO and the widespread use of sabotage and reconnaissance groups are periodically held on the territory of Ukraine.

"The Russian airborne forces in Crimea show that if the enemy only tries to invade from the same Ukraine, the landing will not just resist, but will cause significant damage to the enemy," he said.

  • Ships of the Black Sea Fleet during large-scale exercises of the troops of the Southern Military District and the Airborne Forces in Crimea, April 2021

  • RIA News

  • © Vadim Savitsky

The expert added that after reunification with Russia, the peninsula is a constant irritant for Western countries, and therefore its defense must be at a very high level.

“The Western countries do not recognize Crimea as part of Russia, despite the full compliance of its entry into the Russian Federation with international law, due to the transformation of the unipolar world into a multipolar one and the struggle for strategic territories,” Knutov said.

Alexey Leonkov agrees with him, who points to the favorable geostrategic position of the peninsula and the contingent that is stationed on it.

"The grouping of troops located there controls the Black Sea and all the Black Sea states, and if certain military equipment is available, it can also influence the eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea," Leonkov stressed.