Putin orders troops to return to places of permanent deployment before March 7

Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Supreme Commander, ordered Russian troops to return from military drills to places of their permanent deployment. This happened after Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported Putin about the successful completion of military exercises.

On March 3, 2014, Vladimir Putin personally attended the final part of military maneuvers on Kirilovsky range ground in the Leningrad region.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, commander of the Western Military District Anatoly Sidorov and Chief of the combat training of the Armed Forces of Russia, Ivan Buvaltsev, observed the military exercises with the president.

On the range ground, Putin observed the  military exercises of the 138th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the 6th Army of the Western Military District and the 104th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 76th Air Assault Airborne Division.

On Kirillovsky range ground, 1800 troops, 30 tanks, 20 airborne combat vehicles, 5 aircraft and 80 helicopters demonstrated their combat military coherence. The exercises on the site took place in the framework of comprehensive inspection of sudden combat readiness of troops and forces of the Western and Central districts.

Overall, 150,000 troops, 90 aircraft, 120 helicopters, 880 tanks, 80 warships and merchant vessels were involved in the maneuvers. The drills became one of the larges ones in modern Russian history. They started a week ago - on February 26, when the Supreme Commander suddenly alarmed the troops of the Western Military District, the 2nd Army Central Military District, aerospace defense and airborne troops.

The exercises were focused on five major scenarios: combat actions conducted by assault units, destroying enemy units, landing of special forces on guided parachutes to destroy control rooms, landing tactical air assault units to isolate the battle area and the destruction of artillery battalion and material security.

The troops will return to places of their permanent deployment before March 7^th.