"Withdrawal of aviation from attack." Russia is preparing to repel an attack from Georgia
In response to the Agile Spirit 2019 exercises that started in Georgia under the auspices of NATO, large-scale maneuvers of aviation and air defense forces began in the Southern Military District.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes about this, noting that the Russian troops participating in the maneuvers will be mainly concentrated in areas located along the Main Caucasus Ridge, along which the border with Georgia runs.
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense clarified that “the exercise plan provides for the withdrawal of aviation from attack from airfields stationed in the Rostov region, Kuban, and Crimea, with redeployment to operational airfields in the Astrakhan region, North Ossetia and Stavropol region.” . At the same time, aviation and air defense forces “will conduct air operations with offensive and defensive purposes in the territory from Crimea to the Caspian Sea, from Abkhazia to the Astrakhan region.”
“These maneuvers were not announced. But the expert community expected it, since a pattern has been in effect in the Russian army for a long time: the Ministry of Defense and troops react to any large-scale NATO exercises that take place near the country’s borders,” the publication writes.
The newspaper points out that, according to Georgian media, a Ukrainian tactical group has already distinguished itself in maneuvers with the participation of American tanks, which, together with Georgian military personnel, “practised elements of infantry combat in mountainous areas” almost according to the scenario eleven years ago, when the Georgian army entered South Ossetia.
The situation around the exercises was commented on by Lieutenant General Yuri Netkachev, who at one time commanded the army in the south of the country, and later was deputy commander of the Russian military group in Georgia.
According to him, Russia has good Syrian experience in the use of military aircraft in a local conflict.
“However, the realities are such that, given the activity of NATO forces in the post-Soviet space in the south-west of the Russian Federation and the South Caucasus, aggression and full-scale military operations are possible not only against Russia, but also its allies – Abkhazia and South Ossetia. And here Russian aviation can show the ability to effectively solve not only tactical, but also operational tasks. The forces of the Southern Military District and the Russian army as a whole must prepare for this, which is what they are doing,” Netkachev said.
He believes that the idea of the Russian exercises is related to the actions of NATO and Ukrainian forces at the Agile Spirit 2019 maneuvers.
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