Participants in the drills. Frame from a video by the Russian Ministry of Defense
Joint counterterrorism exercises between the Russian and Tajik armed forces have begun at the Khard-Maidon training range in the mountainous desert region of Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the start of the drills.
The opening ceremony took place in a formal setting: soldiers from both countries lined up on the parade ground, military orchestras performed the national anthems of Russia and Tajikistan, and the national flags were raised.
The active phase of the exercises will run from April 7 to 11. Their main goal is to strengthen cooperation between the two armies and enhance their readiness to respond to modern threats.
During the drills, military contingents from both countries will work on tasks related to the elimination of terrorist armed groups, preparing units for operations in mountainous terrain, and conducting joint operations to neutralize illegal armed groups. Special attention will be given to protecting the state border and neutralizing terrorist groups that breach the border.
The Russian contingent consists of units from the 201st military base of the Central Military District, including mountain, motorized rifle, tank, artillery, and reconnaissance units. Also involved are crews of Mi-24 attack helicopters and Mi-8MTV5-1 transport-combat helicopters, communication specialists, operators of FPV drones and reconnaissance UAVs, as well as mobile electronic warfare groups. As of the preparation of this report, there was no information available on the Tajikistan Ministry of Defense website regarding the exercises.
