Publication:  N10 / Review period: June 1-30, 2021 /Author: Ani Zirakashvili

Review of the Russian Military Forces’ Activities in Abkhazia and the Tkshinvali Region is being prepared within the framework of the project - Roadmap to the Kremlin's Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region. the purpose of the publication is to review trainings of the military forces of the Russian Federation deployed in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, as well as other important events related to the Russian 7th and 4th military bases in these regions. The review is a monthly publication and will be useful for everyone – decision-makers, public employees, media representatives and other people who are interested in the activities of the Russian military forces in the occupied regions of Georgia.

Russian Military Forces in Abkhazia

Military exercises

Units of the 7th military base of the Russian Federation in Abkhazia participated in various military exercises in June:

• As part of exercises, tankmen carried out combat shooting at the Maykop military training ground (the Republic of Adygea, the Russian Federation) and destroyed moving targets at a distance of 700 m. The exercises involved up to 100 tankmen and about 30 units of military equipment.
• As part of special tactical exercises, servicemen of reconnaissance units disrupted communication systems of a conditional enemy, as well as organized ambushes and eliminated the enemy. Over 100 servicemen took part in the exercise and up to 30 units of combat equipment were involved.
• Motorized infantry carries out exercises at the Tsebelda military training ground. The exercises will last till end of July and is aimed at individual training of servicemen, increasing their physical and psychological endurance, developing the ability of adaptation, etc. Over 1,500 servicemen and up to 400 units of military equipment are involved in the exercises.
• RCB (radiation, chemical, biological) protection specialists and the Air Defense Forces conducted joint exercises. They destroyed drones of a conventional enemy flying over the Black Sea. The exercises involved about 500 military servicemen and over 150 units of special equipment.
• Military vehicle inspectors conducted a safe driving lesson for the base military servicemen. Military personnel fulfilled practical tasks aimed at demonstrating their driving skills in emergency situations.
• As part of exercises, communication specialists ensured connection and coordination with field command posts. They set up observation posts, and a defense system against unmanned aerial vehicles of a conditional enemy. The exercises involved about 300 military servicemen and 40 units of combat and special equipment.
• Motorized infantry, radio-electronic warfare, RCB protection and other units carried out exercises at the Tsebelda military training ground. The exercises involved up to one thousand servicemen and over 200 units of combat equipment.
• As part of exercises, military medics set up a field hospital and field medical service centre. Doctors provided treatment to conditionally infected military personnel. In total, the hospital can accommodate up to 200 people.

RCB Protection Specialists and the Air Defense Forces Carry Out a Joint Exercise Using UAVs. Source: sputnik-abkhazia.info.

• Radio-electronic warfare specialists disrupted and then destroyed communication systems of a conditional enemy with the use of the Strelets 10 anti-aircraft missile systems. The exercise involved up to 500 military servicemen and about 150 units of combat and special equipment.
• Motorized infantry carried out exercises at the Tsebelda and Nagvalou military training grounds. The Mi-8AMTSH Terminator helicopters provided operative transfer of troops by air to designated areas. In total, over 1,000 military personnel participated in the exercise.
• Tankmen of the military base carried out exercises at the Maykop military training ground (Krasnodar Krai, the Russian Federation). The T-72B3 tank crews shot and destroyed targets located at 2200 to 2500 meters. The exercise involved over 100 servicemen and more than 30 units of combat equipment.
• Motorized infantry carried out exercises at the Nagvalou and Tsebelda military training grounds. The servicemen shot fires from the BTR-82AM armored personnel carriers, as well as the RPG-7 and AGS-17 grenade launchers. The exercises will end in mid-July. The Servicemen will destroy moving and static targets located at a distance of 2 thousand m.
• Tankmen of the 7th military base take an underwater movement training course at the Prudboy military training ground (the Volgograd region, the Russian Federation). The servicemen will drive through a 100 m length and 5 m depth water reservoir in a zero visibility condition. The training involves over 200 tankmen.

Joint Exercises

• On June 4, military servicemen of the 7th military base and the Abkhazian Emergency Service personnel held a joint exercise. The servicemen extinguished a simulated fire and cleared military training grounds from dry grassy vegetation. More than 50 military personnel participated in the exercise.

Conscripts

• On June 1, recruits of a tank unit started trainings on computer simulators which created virtual conditions as close as possible to war. The recruits destroyed up to 15 types of targets located at different distances.
• On June 29, a total of 50 new conscripts (group I) of the 2021 spring call-up arrived at the 7th military base. On June 30, additional 150 new recruits (group II) joined the base. If desired, they will be vaccinated with the Sputnik V Russian vaccine, an additional batch (1000 doses) of which was delivered to the 7th military base on June 29. The vaccine new doses are for the conscripts only.
• At the initial stage of a combined arms training course, recruits will study theoretical foundations of military service, technical characteristics and the use of weapons and combat equipment. In total, about 150 conscripts of the 2021 spring call-up joined the 7th military base.

Conscripts of a Tank Unit Exercise on Computer Simulators. Source:  Web-Page of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Plans for Summer Training Season

• As planned, over one thousand trainings in combat firing will be conducted. Military servicemen will use different types of equipment: the Grad salvo fire jet system, the 120 mm mortar, the D-30 howitzers, etc.
• More than 200 tactical exercises will be dedicated to the combat coordination of units during field training exercises. At least 50% of training session will take place at night or in low visibility conditions.
• The focus will be on the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles. The 7th military base uses up to 15 types of UAVs, namely the Orlan, the Zastava, the Granat, etc. This year, the flying hours of these devices totalled over 200 hours which is 20% higher than during the same period last year.
• As planned, military servicemen will exercise on computer simulators for over 500 hours. The 7th military base has about 15 types of computer simulators. Reportedly, over a thousand military servicemen have undergone training on these simulators since the beginning of the summer training season.
• In total, the base will use up to a thousand units of combat equipment, over one million ammunition and more than 100 tons of lubricants.

Other Events

• A Clean Coast Campaign was held on the World Environment Day. Military personnel cleaned from garbage the military training grounds on the Black Sea coastline in the Gudauta, Ochamchire and Gulrifshi districts.
• Over 4000 people of the 7th military base received the Sputnik V Russian vaccine against the coronavirus. Recruits of the spring call-up are also being vaccinated. More than 40 specialized posts were set up and over 60 brigades were formed, half of which are mobile, for the vaccination purposes. The Vaccination is voluntary and is done with written consent.
• On Russia Day, June 12, a solemn meeting was held at the 7th military base. During the meeting distinguished Yunarmiya cadets and military servicemen of various subdivisions were awarded with departmental badges and commemorative medals of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
• On June 17, the Alexandrov Ensemble gave a concert at the 7th military base. The Ensemble performed compositions: Russia, We - the People's Army, Native Land, etc. The Alexandrov Ensemble is the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army.
• Additional measures were taken to protect military personnel from heat. The servicemen were provided with light field uniforms and additional supplies of water; covered checkpoints were also set up and doctors began a 24/7 shift to provide first aid whenever needed. Fire brigades and unmanned aviation units were transferred to an intensive mode of service.
• On June 22, servicemen of the 7th military base took part in an event dedicated to the 80th  anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The servicemen laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Aleksey Dvinianin, the Russian “Ambassador,” also attended the event.

Russian Military Forces in the Tskhinvali Region

Military exercises

Units of the 4th military base of the Russian Federation in the Tskhinvali region took part in various military exercises in June:

• The level of readiness for emergency response was checked at the Russian 4th and 7th military bases. As part of the check, military units carried out tasks to extinguish fires, evacuate people, provide first aid, etc.
• Tankmen carried out exercises in the Krasnodar region, the Russian Federation. The servicemen conducted combat firing and destroyed over 200 moving targets. The exercises involved over 100 servicemen and about 30 units of combat equipment.
• Snipers detected and destroyed unmanned aerial vehicles of a conditional enemy in conditions of limited visibility and wind. The targets were located at a distance of 1.3 km. The exercises involved a total of 100 military personnel and over 30 units of weapons and military equipment.
• The T-72B3 tank crews carried out exercises at the Dzartsemi military training ground. The servicemen carried out combat firing using night vision devices and destroyed tanks of a conditional enemy at a distance of 1.5 km. The exercise involved over 100 military servicemen and 30 units of combat equipment.

Joint Exercises

• Motorized infantry carried out exercises at the Dzartsemi military training ground. The servicemen worked out combat shooting skills and completed a variety of standards. The exercise involved over 4,000 servicemen, including other units of the 58th General Arms Army, and over 500 units of equipment (the Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters, 152 mm howitzers, etc.).
• The T-72B3 and T-90A tank crews took part in a tactical firing training. The servicemen performed combat firing, repelled an attack of a conventional opponent, overcame various obstacles on mountainous terrain, etc. Over 400 tankmen from the Tskhinvali region, as well as from the republics of Dagestan, Chechnya, and North Ossetia (the Russian Federation) took part in the exercise.

Motorized Infantry Uses Aviation During an Exercise at the Dzartsemi Military Training Ground. Source: sputnik-ossetia.ru

New Armament

• Servicemen of the 4th military base received the Takhion Russian unmanned aerial vehicles. The new drones are designed for aerial reconnaissance at ranges of 40 km, day and night. The drones are equipped with a thermal imager and a video camera, and can be used in any climate.

Other Events

• Tankmen of the de facto Ministry of Défense are preparing for the Tank Biathlon which will be held within the framework of the 7th International Army Games (Army-2021). This year, four crews will represent the Tskhinvali region at the competition. The competition will start on August 22 and last until September 4.
• The Special Forces Battalion of the de facto Ministry of Defense is preparing for the 7th International Army Games (Army-2021). The servicemen destroyed targets located at a distance of 200 to 500 meters.
• Training meetings of the Financial Agencies of the Russian Federation, in which military servicemen of the de facto Ministry of Defense of the Tskhinvali region also participated, ended in Arkhangelsk on June 8. The meetings discussed the issues of the Joint Peacekeeping Battalion retired servicemen who are unable to transfer their pensions to the Russian Federation, as well as the mutual recognition of the seniority of military service, pension supplements, etc.
• The de facto Minister of Défense, Ibragim Gaseev, participated in the IX Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS-2021), which was held in Moscow, on June 22-24. Gaseev attended several plenary sessions. According to him, the Tskhinvali region, together with Russia, contributes to the strengthening of international security.

After the August 2008 war, Russian occupation forces were deployed in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. In 2010, Russia signed agreements with the de facto republics of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region on the deployment of combined Russian military bases on the territories of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region for the next 49 years. The Russian 7th military base is located on the territory of Abkhazia, and the Russian 4th military base - in the Tskhinvali region. Both regions are part of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation.