Russian Fighter Jets in Crimea Make Emergency Training Flight

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The standby fighter jets of Russia's Southern Military District carried out an emergency training flight in Crimea for checking the jets' combat readiness, Astafiyev said.

"The pair of Su-27 fighter jets on standby of the fourth formation of the air force and air defense of the Southern military district deployed in the Republic of Crimea were taken to air upon alert," Astafiyev said.

The combat readiness of the fighter jets was checked by Commander of the Southern Military District Col. Gen. Alexander Dvornikov as part of his working visit, Astafiyev added. During the first day of the trip to the Crimean Peninsula, Dvornikov also examined the condition of the educational infrastructure, the combat personnel and the equipment of the fighter jet units at the Belbek airbase, Astafiyev noted.

According to the head of the press service, on Thursday, more than 6,500 troops and around 1,500 equipment items of the various units located in Chechnya, Dagestan, Southern Ossetia and Krasnodar Territory, were involved in checking the combat readiness by Dvornikov. The infantry forces of the Black Sea fleet and Caspian Flotilla also took part in the drills, Astafiyev said.

The units made marches to unfamiliar facilities of the district located on the territory of Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, Krasnodar Territory and Crimea. The personnel of the units are currently working on the tactics and conducting the exercises on fire training, driving combat vehicles and the special subjects of combat training, according to Astafiyev.