China to hold int’l military exercises Peace Mission in August

MOSCOW, June 17 (Itar-Tass) - Russian servicemen will participate in International anti-terrorist exercises Peace Mission 2014 at combined tactics training base Zhurihe in the Chinese autonomous region of Inner Mongolia on August 24-29. More than 800 servicemen from Russian Eastern Military District’s motor rifle formation deployed in far eastern Trans-Baikal Territory will participate in military exercises, chief press officer of the Eastern Military District Col Alexander Gordeyev told reporters on Tuesday. Not only motor rifle and tank formations, but also a battery of multiple fire launch systems Grad, a self-propelled howitzer-based gunfire battery Gvozdika, a mortar battery, a platoon of self-propelled air defence systems Shilka and a platoon of snipers will be dispatched to China for war games. “Meanwhile, aviation from the Eastern Military District will be used in Peace Mission, particularly eight helicopter gunships Mil Mi-8, four frontline assault planes Sukhoi Su-25 and two military transport airplanes Ilyushin Il-76,” Gordeyev noted. Military delegations from Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have completed the final round of consultations to plan war games Peace Mission in Beijing on Tuesday. “Negotiating parties agreed to hold a first festival of military orchestras from the member states of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation during the military exercises. More than 230 professional military musicians will be sent to firing range Zhurihe,” the military chief press officer added. Learn more on itar-tass.com