Major Russian armed forces exercises to be held in June

Pravda.RU:Russia

18:13 2004-05-17

The Russian Armed Forces will hold major exercises in June 2004,
acting Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told President Vladimir Putin.

“In June, permanent alert units will be redeployed from one Russian
region to some other by Defense Ministry transport planes civilian
Il-62 and Il-86 aircraft,” Mr. Ivanov said at president’s Monday
meeting with cabinet members.

In addition, exercises within the framework of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan) will be held in the Central Asian strategic sector
from August to September, the acting defense minister noted.

“The central role will be given to the Russian permanent alert units
and our airbase in Kant [Kyrgyzstan],” Mr. Ivanov said.

“This will be a mobile redeployment of airborne and task force units,”
he added.

“The Russian Navy is planning major independent and international
campaigns in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in
August-September,” Mr. Ivanov said.