MOSCOW, Russia: The five-day aerial military exercises began on Monday in the Russian central and western districts amid the crisis in neighboring Ukraine.
The exercises, which would continue until August 8, include aircraft such as Su-27 and MiG-31 fighter jets, bomber Su-34, as well as Mi-8, Mi-24 and Mi-28N helicopters.
In a statement, a Russian air force spokesman Igor Klimov said that the drills will be testing “aircraft weapons on land and air targets on new ranges, and will be conducting real and electronic launches of anti-aircraft missiles in Ashuluk (Astrakhan region in southern Russia) which is specifically designed to aid the coordination between aviation and anti-missile defense.”
Klimov further said that the exercises are the first in a series to improve coordination in the military.
