Russia-China-led bloc kicks off anti-terror drills in Urals

ORENBURG REGION, RUSSIA – SEPTEMBER 20, 2021: Servicemen take part in Peace Mission 2021, a counter-terrorism exercise held by member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at Donguz shooting range. Sergei Medvedev/TASS

The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) kicked off the Peace Mission 2021 anti-terror drills at the Donguz training ground in the Orenburg Region in the Urals, Commander of Russia’s Central Military District Colonel-General Alexander Lapin announced on Monday.“Over 5,000 troops from nine states will demonstrate their readiness for joint operations to rout large outlawed armed gangs and neutralize terrorist threats. For the first time ever, the military contingent of the Republic of Belarus is taking part in the drills,” the District’s press office quoted the commander as saying.In the course of the drills, the troops will test new methods of conducting joint combat operations, considering the development of advanced armaments and the tactic of terrorist formations. The exercise will run in two stages and during its active phase the coalition force will practice joint measures in five operational episodes, the commander said.

The Peace Mission 2021 anti-terror exercise is running on September 20-24. Overall, the drills will involve about 5,500 troops and over 1,200 items of armament, military and special hardware. These maneuvers have been held every two years since the organization’s creation. The first such exercise took place on the territory of Kazakhstan and China in August 2003.