On the territory of several southern regions of the Russian Federation and in the waters of the Black and Caspian Seas, the strategic command and staff exercise (SCST) "Caucasus-2016" with the participation of 12.5 thousand military personnel is taking place on September 5 - 10. In addition to the troops and forces of the Southern Military District (SMD), individual formations and units of the Western and Central Military Districts, the Northern Fleet, the Aerospace Forces and the Airborne Forces are involved in the maneuvers.
For rapid deployment in the training areas, troops are brought to the highest levels of combat readiness and are transferred by various types of transport and under their own power over long distances, and almost immediately “enter battle.”
"Caucasus-2016" is the final stage of a complex of command and staff exercises, 12 special exercises, training of military command and control bodies, and surprise checks of the combat readiness of troops (forces) in 2016.
Military personnel of the Southern Military District are practicing algorithms for interaction with troops and forces of the Western and Central Military Districts, with Aerospace Forces aircraft and Navy ships. Subunits, units and formations of the Southern Military District perform missions at training grounds in full force, in defense and offensive, with a large number of live firings.
The air defense system is tested just as severely. Combat crews of the S-400 Triumph and S-300 Favorit anti-aircraft missile systems and Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and gun systems at ranges in the Astrakhan region launch missiles at real air targets that represent the entire range of air attack weapons.
© Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian FederationCommand and control commando "Caucasus-2016" at the Prudboy training ground in the Volgograd region
A complex system of field camps and bases providing troops and forces with all the necessary types of material resources has been deployed on flat and mountain ranges.
Combat training missions are practiced continuously, day and night. There is no other way, because a hypothetical enemy can become real in a matter of hours. This was shown by the events of August 2008, immediately after the completion of the Caucasus-2008 maneuvers. Troops must be able to quickly and effectively force any aggressor to peace.
Georgian experience
In Georgia these days, multinational NATO military maneuvers Agile Spirit are taking place simultaneously, in which Georgian and American military personnel, as well as representatives of Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Latvia, are participating. The stated goals are: improving experience in offensive and defensive operations, improving interaction between the Georgian military and colleagues from the United States and partner countries, supporting security in the region.
Since 2011, Agile Spirit exercises have been held (annually) as part of US military cooperation with Georgia. Since 2015, Agile Spirit has turned into a multinational military exercise, and the United States and Georgia opened a new page in the joint Noble Partner exercises, which took place at the Vaziani training ground in May 2016.
© AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov
© AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov
Over the past four years, four ministers have changed in the Georgian military department, and some Georgian politicians accuse the current Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria of acting in the interests of Russia. The Georgian army is becoming increasingly politicized. The vector of military preparations is equally obvious - revenge in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, bloc confrontation with Russia.
Probably, not all of our partners remember what the desire to show Russia in the Caucasus “Kuzka’s mother” at the hands of the Georgian army led to in 2008.
Ukrainian accent
Today, the Southern Military District includes the territory of Crimea, and sometimes there is a feeling that the Kyiv authorities and external curators of Ukraine are going to go beyond the rhetoric about the “aggressor country.” Perhaps they will try to repeat the Georgian experience of 2008.
We have previously written about American supplies of lethal weapons to Ukraine through third countries.
Why is Lithuania (EU) arming Ukraine, where does the small and dependent Baltic republic have so much political will and ammunition? I believe this gift is the collective contribution of several former Warsaw Pact countries now in NATO, under the leadership of the United States.
Obviously, “within the framework of supporting sovereignty,” they are trying to push Ukraine against Russia. But Ukraine is a direct subject of the Minsk agreements, which spell out steps for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Donbass (and not a word about Russia there).
After many months of anti-terrorist operation with the full-scale use of artillery in Ukraine, doubts arose whether there would be enough ammunition for further confrontation with the “aggressor country.” And the Ukroboronprom concern, at the last arms exhibition IDEX-2015, signed a number of military contracts with the companies Thales Group and Airbus (France), BAE Systems (Great Britain), Textron and Bell Helicopters (USA), as well as KiaMilitary (South Korea). Who and how will pay for this “banquet”?
On September 6, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said: “Our strategic goal remains joining NATO.” The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in December 2014 amended two laws, abandoning the non-bloc status of the state.
Perhaps military exercises in Russia alarm some of our neighbors, and sudden inspections of the Russian Armed Forces inspire superstitious horror in some of our partners. Responding to the challenges of the time, sovereign Russia is quite rightly strengthening its borders. This is a historical necessity.
In a year, more than a hundred battalion tactical groups, fully staffed by contract soldiers, will operate within the Russian Army. This was announced on Wednesday by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov.
According to him, these formations significantly increase the combat effectiveness of military units and formations. This, in particular, was confirmed at the strategic command and staff exercises "Caucasus-2016". Each such group is essentially a battalion of 700-800, and in some places 900, reinforced with all necessary means. They are a kind of backbone of any regiment or brigade, so there is a decision to add another three dozen to the current 66 battalion tactical groups by the end of the year, in 2017 to increase their number to 115, and a year later - to 125.
The final results of the large-scale exercises at the General Staff will be announced later. But the military leaders have already made some conclusions based on their results. The most important Valery Gerasimov formulated it this way: “The Directorate of the Southern Military District has shown the ability to effectively lead a group of troops and naval forces during the preparation and conduct of combat operations.”
During these exercises, commanders acted independently and could make non-standard decisions
In terms of the number of personnel participating in the maneuvers - 120 thousand people - "Caucasus" is perhaps not the largest exercise. But here two circumstances must be taken into account. First of all, the General Staff did not set the task of bringing as many troops as possible to the land and sea training grounds. Command post exercises are organized mainly to test the command and control system of the Armed Forces. Which was done in full. In addition, according to Russia’s international obligations, generals could simultaneously involve no more than 12.5 thousand soldiers and officers in maneuvers. The army leadership strictly adhered to this limitation, gradually introducing new forces into training battles. Including reservists. 700 “partisans” were enough to form a motorized rifle battalion, two companies and a reconnaissance platoon of territorial defense. Valery Gerasimov rated their actions at the exercises quite highly.
The same applies to the performance of tasks by sailors of the Black Sea Fleet. They demonstrated the ability to destroy a potential enemy even as he was moving out of his deployment ports. That is, they conducted an active defense. “For this, the Black Sea Fleet today has everything: reconnaissance means that detect targets at a range of up to 500 km, weapons of destruction. One coastal missile system “Bastion” is worth it: it hits 350 km - up to the Bosporus inclusive,” explained the Chief of the General Staff . He added that just a few years ago, the combat capabilities of the Black Sea troops contrasted sharply, in particular, with the Turkish Navy, when they said that Turkey was almost the complete master in the Black Sea. Everything is different now. Three submarines with Caliber missiles have already arrived at the Black Sea Fleet. Soon another one will be added to them, and next year - two. That is, the Black Sea Fleet will have a full-fledged brigade of modern submarines.
Deputy Minister of Defense Dmitry Bulgakov emphasized that during the Caucasus-2016 exercises it was possible to work out all types of support for the Armed Forces. Rear units successfully completed four dozen operational missions during these maneuvers.
The editors of the website of the Zvezda TV channel summed up the results of 2016 and compiled the top 10 main events in the Russian army. 1. Operation to liberate Aleppo One of the major successes of the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2016 was the liberation of the Syrian city of Aleppo. The main role in this operation was played by the Syrian government army. Its troops, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, struck at terrorist warehouses and fortifications on the approaches to the city. As Russian President Vladimir Putin noted when he congratulated his colleague Bashar al-Assad on the liberation of Aleppo, “this success became possible thanks to the joint efforts of everyone who rallied in the fight against international terrorism in Syria.” It is impossible not to note the dedicated work of the Center’s specialists in reconciling the warring parties. Created at the end of February 2016, the structure facilitated the negotiation process on reconciliation between representatives of the Syrian authorities and the opposition and organized the delivery of humanitarian aid. It was Russian military personnel and employees of the center who ensured the withdrawal of civilians from the city besieged by terrorists, organized the exit of militants who agreed to surrender their weapons, and those , who left Aleppo for Idlib, remaining irreconcilable with the official authorities of Syria. Seven huge warehouses with weapons worth hundreds of millions of dollars, which the militants left behind when fleeing Aleppo, became a kind of trophy. However, the terrorists also left behind thousands of explosive devices. Literally everything in the city is mined, even children’s toys. Russian sappers have already neutralized tens of thousands of explosive objects and are currently continuing a humanitarian demining operation. 2. Accuracy of Russian weapons Over the course of the year, Russian military personnel solved many different tasks in Syria - from guarding humanitarian cargo to conducting targeted missile strikes. As Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted, summing up the results of the year, more than 160 types of new and promising weapons were tested in Syria. The most noticeable in this regard was November, when, during attacks on targets in Syria, Onyx missiles were launched from the Bastion complex "for targets on land. Moreover, this launch was both the first case of using the complex in real combat conditions, and the first widely known case of using the complex against ground targets. In November, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched Kh-101 missiles at terrorist targets. The attentive reader will remember that this missile was first used back in 2015, but in November 2016, the Tu-95MS strategic missile carrier, modernized for this purpose, became the delivery vehicle. The missile launches were carried out over the Mediterranean Sea. On November 15, 2016, the frigate Admiral Grigorovich launched three 3M14T Caliber cruise missiles. The small missile ships Zeleny Dol and Serpukhov also fired sea-based missiles at the militants. 3. Campaign of “Admiral Kuznetsov” A historic event for the Russian fleet was the expedition of a naval group to Syria led by the flagship of the Russian Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov. For the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, it became a real premiere and baptism of fire, and caused a stir among the Western public. Almost throughout the entire cruise of the cruiser in the Mediterranean Sea, it was accompanied by NATO warships. At some point, radars even detected an alliance submarine nearby. Reconnaissance aircraft and fully combat units F-16 periodically provoked Russian sailors by flying over the naval group, and foreign brigades several times tried to wedge themselves into the battle formation of Russian ships. NATO ships “showed muscles,” but the Russian sailors reciprocated. Provocateurs from their ships could see how bombs and missiles were being loaded onto the Su-33 and MiG-29K on the deck of the cruiser. The command was ready for any development of events, but nevertheless, terrorist control points, warehouses with weapons and ammunition became targets of the aircraft during the combat service of the aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. 4. Iskander as NATO's obsessive worry The actual deployment of Iskander complexes in the Kaliningrad region was refuted and confirmed by various sources until this fact became undeniable in October 2016. This caused great concern among NATO countries: the complex includes ballistic and cruise missiles. It is generally accepted that launching two types of these missiles at once means 100% destruction of targets, since they cannot be destroyed. The official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, commented on the transfer of missile systems. He reminded the authors of the hype that the Iskander is a mobile missile system, and emphasized that the Iskanders had previously been deployed to the Kaliningrad region. “By the way, no one made a big secret about the transportation of the complex on the Ambal dry cargo ship. I’ll say more: one Iskander was specially displayed even before being loaded into the Ambal under a flying American reconnaissance satellite to clarify the operating parameters of this spacecraft,” Konashenkov commented then. What the Iskander is capable of was shown by exercises in the Astrakhan region in 2016 , when the missiles of the complex hit the command post of a mock enemy from a distance of 200 kilometers, leaving only a smoking crater behind. Responding to the concerns of our neighbors, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the transfer of Iskander missile systems to the Kaliningrad region was caused by the destructive actions of NATO. 5. Sudden anxiety Snap checks in the Russian Armed Forces were resumed after Sergei Shoigu assumed the post of Russian Defense Minister. As the name implies, military personnel are alerted, troops are brought to the highest level of combat readiness without any warning, and they can cover entire military districts. Snap inspections took place several times in 2016: the condition of army arsenals and the readiness of individual military command and control bodies were assessed; the personnel of the Russian military base in Abkhazia were alerted; assessed the combat readiness of the peacekeeping brigade of the Central Military District, units of the Airborne Forces, troops of the Strategic Missile Forces and many other branches and types of troops. The largest surprise inspection started in the Southern Military District and became the final stage of preparing troops for the Caucasus-2016 exercises. The military personnel made multi-kilometer marches through unfamiliar territory to specified areas, deployed groupings of troops and checked how ready they were for a rapid build-up of forces and localization of crisis situations. Vladimir Putin, summing up the results of the year, said: “The four sudden checks of the combat readiness of the troops that took place during the year confirmed that that units and subunits can be quickly deployed over long distances and in a short time create groupings in strategic directions.” 6. Exercises “Caucasus-2016”: looking intently to the south The Caucasus 2016 exercises, which took place in early September, gave military analysts around the world plenty of food for thought. They became a kind of quintessence of all the exercises of the Russian army and showed its increased power. About 120 thousand people took part in them, and 12.5 thousand military personnel, up to 60 airplanes and helicopters, 15 Black Sea Fleet ships, 90 tanks and 400 pieces of other equipment were simultaneously involved in practical actions at the training grounds. It is worth noting that the exercises did not involve training only weapons skills, but also logistics and logistics support for troops. A tank and combined-arms army and aviation were transferred to the south from the central regions of the country, field food stations were set up at the training grounds, and more than nine tons of bread were baked. The main goal of the exercises was to practice the army’s “turn” in a southern direction and the ability to stop an attempt at a large-scale invasion of our country on a fairly broad front. 7. International exercises 2016 was a rich and productive year in terms of interaction between the Russian army and the military of other states. Dozens of international exercises have confirmed this. Among the most significant is the holding of the command post exercise “Interaction-2016” with military contingents of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. More than six thousand military personnel from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan took part in the maneuvers that took place in the Pskov region. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed making the “Brotherhood of Aviators” flight-tactical exercises of Russia and Serbia an annual event. The tactical exercises “Slavic Brotherhood” also became useful, in which individual reconnaissance drones were tested. Blocking and liquidation of conditional illegal armed groups was practiced during the annual exercises of Russia and Mongolia “Selenga-2016”. But the Russian Ministry of Defense conducted exercises with Pakistan and Vietnam in 2016 for the first time. These countries are long-time partners and buy Russian military equipment. This year, for the first time, maritime cooperation was practiced with India at the Indra exercises. In general, in 2016, the Russian military department significantly expanded the number of military contacts and exercises. 8. International Army Games The International Army Games Army Games 2016 also contributed to cooperation in the past year. Every year, the geography of the participating countries is expanding: this time, military personnel from nineteen states showed their skills - Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Iran, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Venezuela, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Angola, India, Serbia, Tajikistan, Greece, Kuwait, Nicaragua. During the competitions, passions ran high no less than at the Olympics. The most spectacular was the “Tank Biathlon” competition, in which crews shot at targets simulating a tank and a helicopter. In total, the games program included 23 competitions, in 20 of which Russian military personnel won gold medals, losing only in the competitions “Sniper Frontier”, “ Masters of Artillery Fire" and "True Friend". 9. A parade that's more than a parade This year's Victory Parade was somewhat more modest than the last anniversary year, but there was something to see this time too. Tu-160 strategic bombers, Ka-52 helicopters flew over Moscow, T-90 tanks, Tiger and Typhoon armored vehicles, Kurganets armored personnel carriers, Armata tanks and Coalition-SV self-propelled howitzers passed through Red Square. Meanwhile, a distinctive feature of the Victory Parade in 2016 was the wide smiles of military personnel marching along the cobblestones of Red Square. Commenting on this fact for the Zvezda shopping and entertainment company, military expert Dmitry Drozdenko said: “I believe that this was a deliberate move by the organizers of the Parade, and it was correct, because the modern army must cultivate the image of not only and not so much the stern defenders of the Fatherland, but also the kind , polite people." 10. Renewal of the Russian army Summing up, it is impossible not to note the qualitative changes that have occurred in the Russian army this year. Firstly, this concerns modern military equipment that has entered the troops. In 2016, the Russian Air Force received 139 aircraft, the Navy - 24 surface ships and two multi-purpose submarines, the Ground Forces - 88 artillery systems and 764 armored combat vehicles. Among the equipment received were Iskander missile systems, and coastal complexes "Bastion", and MLRS "Tornado-S", and new radar systems and electronic warfare systems. Secondly, the troops are also receiving simulators on which combat crews, vehicle drivers, ground forces, submariners and sailors learn manage modern technology. Fully staffed scientific companies are working to develop the potential of advanced weapons. In general, we can say that in 2016 the Russian army and navy reached a higher level. Authors: Mikhail Rychagov, Kirill Yablochkin.
On August 25, another large-scale military exercise began in the Southern Military District. Military personnel of the district's units and formations were alerted. A sudden check of the combat readiness of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is carried out in three military districts - Southern, Western and Central, as well as in the Northern Fleet and in the main commands of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Airborne Forces. The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General, told reporters about this Sergei Shoigu.
Attention - southwest
A sudden check of combat readiness, according to Shoigu, is being carried out in the Southern Military District so that the leadership of the Ministry of Defense can assess the district’s ability to quickly deploy self-sufficient groups of troops in the southwestern strategic direction. The same goal has been set for the Western and Central Military Districts - they will also be focused on actions in the southwestern strategic direction. The southwestern direction is Ukraine.
After the events in Crimea on August 6-7, Russia’s relations with this country became even more complicated. Let us recall that in Crimea, attempts by sabotage groups to penetrate the territory of the peninsula were prevented. Later Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov officially stated that the sabotage groups were Ukrainian. The Russian leadership accused the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine of sending them. Two Russian servicemen were killed in a clash with Ukrainian saboteurs - an employee of the Federal Security Service, Lieutenant Colonel Roman Kamenev and contract serviceman of the Airborne Forces, corporal Semyon Sychev.
Events on the border with Ukraine dictate the need for increased attention of the Russian military command to the southwestern strategic direction. You can expect anything from an unstable neighbor. Therefore, it is not surprising that Russia is again conducting large-scale exercises in the Southern, Central and Western military districts. According to Sergei Shoigu, after checking combat readiness, military formations and military units will go to the training grounds, where the actual exercises will begin. Military command and control bodies will also assess the mobilization readiness of the named military districts. Deputy Minister of Defense Tatiana Shevtsova instructed to evaluate the system of financial support for troops in the event of their transfer from peacetime to wartime.
The inspection will be followed by the Caucasus 2016 exercises.
The Ministry of Defense took the issue of organizing combat readiness testing very seriously. We formed two working groups of generals and officers of the General Staff. Direct leadership of the troops will be exercised by the commanders-in-chief of all branches of the Armed Forces - the Ground Forces, the Navy, the Aerospace Forces, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Airborne Forces.
Reportedly, the combat readiness test will mark the start of the Caucasus 2016 military exercises scheduled for September 2016. The strategic command and staff exercises "Caucasus - 2016" will be held on the territory of the Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts, and the maximum number of units and formations of the Southern Military District will be involved in them. As part of the exercises, it is expected to hone the interservice interaction of the Ground Forces, Navy, Aerospace Forces and Airborne Forces. The command will pay special attention to the actions of troops in mountainous areas, as well as honing their skills in countering terrorists and illegal armed groups.
Artillerymen are training in the Caucasus and Crimea
Meanwhile, even before the combat readiness check of the troops was scheduled, large-scale military exercises of missile forces and artillery began in the Southern Military District. They take place at 18 training grounds of the Southern Military District, located in the North Caucasus and Crimea, as well as in Armenia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
11 thousand military personnel are involved in the exercises. More than 2,200 units of weapons and military equipment were involved, including more than 300 artillery pieces, 200 multiple launch rocket systems, 400 mortars, 100 anti-tank weapons. Military personnel of missile and artillery units and subunits will have to hone their skills in firing at single and group targets from weapons in service with the Russian army - the Iskander-M operational-tactical complex, the Grad, Uragan and Tornado multiple launch rocket systems. G", self-propelled artillery guns "Khosta", "Akatsiya", MSTA-S", "MSTA-B", "Gvozdika", self-propelled artillery systems "Bereg", coastal missile systems "Bastion" and other guns and installations.
Neighbors will be warned about military exercises
As always, the West is very interested in Russian military exercises. Under Secretary of Defense for International Affairs Anatoly Antonov received an order from Defense Minister Shoigu to notify foreign military attaches of military readiness to check their combat readiness, which, in fact, the Russian side always does before the start of large-scale military exercises.
Back in 2015, Sergei Shoigu spoke about the need to conduct large-scale military exercises in the Caucasus, linking it with the activation of terrorist organizations in the Middle East. As you know, the Russian North Caucasus is one of the regions that is extremely interesting for international terrorist organizations. Radical structures from the countries of the Middle East sent their militants to the North Caucasus back in the 1990s - during two Chechen campaigns, and even now there are connections between the Caucasian underground and Middle Eastern organizations. Therefore, the most important task for Russian troops in the region is to be prepared to counter the terrorist threat. As practice has shown, the Russian army must be on alert in Crimea. Here, a potential source of threats is Ukraine and Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar nationalist organizations operating on its territory, with the connivance of the Kyiv authorities.
