Russian Troops Hold Military Drills in Armenia

YEREVAN — Large-scale drills with the participation of Russian troops, located in Armenia, will be held from October 13 to 19 at Kamhud and Alagyaz training facilities, the press service of the Russian Southern Military District has reported.

Some 3,000 servicemen and 500 units of militaryand other equipment, including MiG-29 fighter aircraft from the Erebuni air base in Yerevan will participate in the exercises, RIA Novosti reports.

The press service noted that the main goal of the drills is to check the combat readiness of the forces. The Russian servicemen are expected to cover the distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) on various types of armored vehicles and other equipment.

The combat training intensity of the personnel of the Russian base in Armenia has increased 4.5 times in terms of the number of drills and ammunition expenditure in 2014.

The Russian 102nd Military Base is located in the Armenian city of Gyumri. On August 20, 2010, Russia and Armenia agreed to prolong the agreement on the base location until 2044.