Anatoly Mazurkevich, the chief of the Russian Defense Ministry's main department for international military cooperation, said that troops from both countries were testing their abilities to fulfill their missions.
Russian and German airborne troops are planning to share anti-terrorism experience and practice airborne jumps, combat firing and the seizure of facilities.
The German stage of the joint exercises began this Monday near the city of Zweibrucken (Rheinland-Phalz). A platoon of Russian airborne troops from the Pskov airborne division will participate during this stage. In exchange, German paratroopers have come to the 76th Pskov airborne division to join the Russian stage of the exercises.
The Russian stage will begin on July 21, when Russian and German paratroopers make air jumps from An-2 and Il-76 planes.
Before the jumps, paratroops will also go through joint training. They are expected to thwart an attack by militants groups and seize their base.
