MOSCOW, September 12 (RIA Novosti) - Troops in Russia's Eastern Military District are moved to the highest state of combat readiness as surprise drills begin in the region, the Russian Ministry of Defense informed on Friday.
"As part of a surprise check of the Eastern Military District troops' combat readiness, military formations and units located in the Eastern region of the Russian Federation have completed the implementation of measures to enter the highest degree of combat readiness," the ministry wrote in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to hold snap combat readiness drills in Russia's Eastern Military District starting Thursday.
Air defense forces and military units would be put on full combat alert starting 10:00 a.m. Moscow time [6:00 a.m. GMT], Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday.
The Eastern Military District includes military units in Transbaikal and the Far East. The headquarters are located in the city of Khabarovsk.
