Joint Russian-Egyptian exercises begin in Russia's Krasnodar Krai
The Russian-Egyptian “Defenders of Friendship 2017” joint military exercises have begun in Krasnodar Krai, TASS reported, citing the Ministry of Defense. 50 Egyptian paratroopers arrived on September 6 to take part in the exercises in the south of Russia.
“In the context of the tactical exercises, divisions of the Russian Airborne Troops and the Egyptian Paratroopers will do landings, carry out maneuvers in the area of combat training tasks, and will also capture and hold a mountain pass in Kuban,” said Vadim Astafyev, head of the Southern Military District’s press service. The Russian-Egyptian exercises will take place in mountainous terrain with a dry, subtropical climate, the Defense Ministry specified.
As follows from the report on the Defense Ministry’s website, the Egyptian paratroopers made their first jumps from a Russian Il-76, using Russian D-10 parachutes. Furthermore, the host acquainted the Egyptians with Russian weapons and military equipment. Notably, they were shown the capabilities of the “Ratnik” combat outfit.
Meanwhile, the Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2017 exercises are still underway. They are taking place at six training grounds in both countries, and should involve around 13,000 military personnel. On September 17, the General Staff took stock of the results of the first stage of the drills.