Russian paratroops arrive in Tajikistan for CSTO exercise

Russian paratroops from the Ivanovo airborne force have arrived at an airdrome near Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe for an exercise of the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s rapid reaction force, the Russian Defence Ministry’s press-service has said.

According to earlier reports, 500 Russian paratroops and 60 pieces of equipment, as well as four planes and four helicopters will participate in the drills.

"Special mobile groups on quadricycles and motorcycles, as well as BMD-2KU and BTR-D combat4 vehicles and self-propelled artillery pieces 2-S9 Nona and their crews disembarked from transport planes on the ground," the Defence Ministry said.

At the moment the paratroops are getting ready for a march towards the area of the exercise 200 kilometres away. After negotiating several mountain passes they are to join their counterparts from other CSTO countries in the area of the village of Shaartuz.

Eighteen Ilyushin-76 transport planes and one Antonov-124 Ruslan were used in the airlift. They made about 30 shuttle flights.