President Putin was shown the footwear during his visit Friday to a security operations center outside the Daghestani capital of Makhachkala. He was also shown the weapons, communications devices, food, and medications for the mountain units.
He said the boots were too rigid and heavy to wear even on flat ground, let alone in the mountains and that they should therefore be replaced.
Yuri Baluyevsky, Chief of the Russian General Staff, told Putin that the mountain brigades would each incorporate a reconnaissance company, a mobile company, and a gunship unit, equipped with Mi-28 and KA-50 helicopters, as well as with unmanned aircraft. A self-propelled artillery battery and an anti-aircraft battery will provide fire cover.
President Putin also visited a checkpoint on the Daghestani-Azeri border, where he was shown examples of cutting-edge monitoring and detection devices as well as digital communications equipment.
Officials briefed Putin on progress in the implementation of the 2003-10 federal program for improving border control. This program envisages the establishment of an interagency automated system for monitoring border areas, the development of more sophisticated weapons and technical equipment, and the creation of databases on people and freights traveling across the border. The first part of the program is to be completed by the end of the year.
On his way back, Putin made a stopover in the old Daghestani city of Derbent, founded in the 5th century. He strolled in the town's historical part, chatting with local residents.
