Russian and Mongolian troops have held the first joint training session involving battle shooting at Munkh Khet range as part of the joint Russian-Mongolian military exercise Selenga-2019, the Eastern Military District (EMD) said.

Mongolian soldiers at Selenga-2019 military exercise.  (Picture source Russian MoD)

"Units of the combined-arms army of the Eastern Military District deployed in Buryatia and the Mongolian Armed Forces have held the first joint training with battle shooting. The motor rifles drilled the order of inflicting fire damage on the conditional adversary by using new tactics of an "insidious attack" based on the experience of modern armed conflicts," it said.

The servicemen also drilled interaction with tank and artillery units as well as helicopters of the EMD army aviation. In accordance with the new tactics concept, motor rifled crews of BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles disembarked near a conditional populated locality and organized covert movement in urban conditions. Reconnaissance platoons went ahead of the main group to check the terrain for possible ambushes, trip wires and mine traps.

The T-72B3 main battle tanks and BMP-2 IFVs moved on safe traffic routes in the rear of the motor rifles groups in order to be able to provide fire support in case of surprise enemy attacks.

The Russian and Mongolian servicemen have also trained jointly and separately without live firing exercises.

Russia’s Eastern Military District earlier reported that the Russian troops have involved about 300 weapon systems in the drills: 2S3 152mm Akatsiya howitzers, BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems, ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, T-72B3 tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, Mi-24 and Mi-8AMTSh helicopters from the District’s army aviation airfield located in the Trans-Baikal Region.