Russia has been closely monitoring the security situation in Afghanistan amid the continued destabilisation of the war-torn country in recent months. Last month, Moscow warned that the Collective Security Treaty Organisation would “act decisively” to stop any aggression or provocations on the allied states' borders.
The Russian military contingent in Tajikistan has redeployed from their permanent base in Dushanbe to the Harb-Maidon training area near the border with Afghanistan, the Central Military District has announced.
The redeployed forces include motorised riflemen units, tank troops, artillery and anti-aircraft troops and engineering corps forces, along with army aviation helicopters.
Video footage of the redeployment showed tan-coloured Russian tanks, BTR armoured personnel carriers, trucks, artillery systems and other units driving down local highways to their destination, flanked by Mil Mi-24 gunships.
The distance between their Dushanbe base and the training area is about 200 km, and Russian forces are said to have engaged in training along the way, including in convoy protection, manoeuvring in contaminated terrain, repelling of sabotage attacks and potential air assaults by a conditional enemy. Troops set up command posts, completed engineering work for firing positions and camouflage for equipment.
The Russian forces will be carrying out a joint exercise with Tajikistani and Uzbekistani forces starting next week, with the drills, taking place from…