Pakistan, India to participate in Russia’s military drills next month

Ag Agencies

MOSCOW: The military contingent of seven countries, including China, Pakistan and India, will take part in Russia’s Tsentr-2019 (Center-2019) strategic drills in September, press service of the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Military contingent of the People’s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan are engaged in the drills for exercising in coordinated operations," the statement said. "Up to 12,950 people (of which up to 10,700 are the Russian military and up to 2,250 are the military personnel of foreign countries), up to 250 tanks, up to 450 armoured infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers, and up to 200 artillery systems and multiple artillery rocket systems will be employed in practical operations of the military forces in Donguz, Totsky and Adanak training ranges in the European part of the Russian Federation," the ministry added, reported Russian news agency Tass on Wednesday. Almost 130,000 people, over 20,000 units of military hardware and weapons and roughly 600 aircraft systems will be involved in Russia’s Tsentr-2019 strategic drills to be held on September 16 to 21, press service of the Defence Ministry said. "All in all, around 128,000 servicemen, over 20,000 units and weapons and military hardware, around 600 aircraft systems and up to 15 ships and logistics vessels are involved in participating in strategic command and staff exercises," the statement said.

Eight training ranges in Russia will host the main operations. Those are the ranges of Totsky and Donguz in the Orenburg Region, Adanak in Dagestan and Ashuluk near Astrakhan, the Chebarkul practice range in the Chelyabinsk Region and Safakulevo in the Kurgan Region, the Aleisky and Yurginsky ranges in the Altai Region and the Kemerovo Region, the ministry said. Also, certain episodes of the drills will be held "under separate plans" at the ranges of foreign countries.

In the previous Center drills held in 2015, the military from Kazakhstan belonging to the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization participated. All in all, around 95,000 servicemen, over 7,000 units of weapons and military hardware, up to 170 aircraft and 20 vessels were employed in 2015.