Russian defence chief inspects combat readiness of reserve units

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has inspected the training facilities of contract servicemen and volunteers of the Combat Army Reserve of the Country (BARS) units at the training grounds of the Southern Military District.

He was presented with the equipment on which the training is conducted and demonstrated the use of a combat drone, the Russian Defence Ministry told TASS.

The head of the combat training department of the South Military District told the minister that training is underway in tactical and specialised, firearms, medical, engineering training and in training programmes for drone operators, driver mechanics and other military specialities. The classes are conducted by people with combat experience. They practise evacuating the wounded from vehicles and trenches, the process of getting them to the means of evacuation, and also practising the organisation of communications in offensive combat.

During firearms training, contractors and volunteers are taught to fire various types of small arms, a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher, an AGS-17 automatic machine grenade launcher and a Shmel infantry rocket-propelled flamethrower. According to the head of the combat training department of the South Military District, the trainees fire 250 to 300 grenade rounds from the AGS-17 and more than 500 shots from small arms.