A five-day tactical drill for servicemen of the Russian military base deployed in Tajikistan was launched at the Harbmaidon training ground in the Khatlon province on Mach 14.

The press center of Russia’s Central Military District says the exercise involves more than 1,000 military personnel and more than 300 units of military hardware, including combat helicopters.

The exercise is being conducted in three stages.  During the main stage, they will rehearse coordination and interaction in a combat operation on blocking and destroying illegal armed formations.

The troops have completed a forced march to the exercise area with rehearsing a mission on repelling attacks of sabotage and reconnaissance groups and overcoming contaminated areas.

The final phase of the exercise that will take place on March 18 will include the tasks of restoring combat capability.

All tactical actions will be practiced with use of reconnaissance-and-fire and reconnaissance-and-strike systems, the press center says. 

The Russian military base deployed in Tajikistan is subordinate to the Central Military District.  It is Russia's largest non-naval military facility outside the country.  It was officially opened in Tajikistan in 2004 under a previous agreement, which was signed in 1993, and hosts Russia’s largest military contingent deployed abroad.

A total of some 7,000 Russian troops are now stationed at two military facilities collectively known as the 201st military base - in Dushanbe and Bokhtar (formerly Qurghon Teppa), some 100 kilometers from Dushanbe.