Kavkaz 2020 Thread: Shoigu said the exercise will run from Sep 21-26 and will "assess the the Southern Military District's ability to ensure military security in Russia's southwest." The main part will take place at the Kapustin Yar and Ashuluk ranges and Black and Caspian Seas.
As part of Kavkaz 2020 "issues of command and control of groups of troops, formations and subunits in joint operations to localize and resolve armed conflicts related to countering terrorism will be practiced." 2/
https://vk.com/mil?z=video-133441491_456244247%2F2c3be522a1fe423ae9%2Fpl_wall_-133441491
http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12313110@egNews
The first PLA troops have begun to arrive in Astrakhan, Russia for the exercise. Two Chinese Y-20 military transport aircraft delivered a hundred troops (all of whom were tested for COVID-19) and military equipment today. 3/
Photos of PLA ZBD-04A IFVs and PLZ-07 122-mm howitzers being loaded onto Y-20 aircraft for Kavkaz 2020. 4/
https://dambiev.livejournal.com/2050646.html 
Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Kavkaz 2020 will have 2 stages:
-the first stage will involve planning military operations in the conditional military-political environment,
-the second stage will involve the actual maneuvers of the multinational group of troops.
5/
In the 1st stage "maneuvers in the fight against international terrorism supported by the armed forces of a mock enemy state will be worked out to repel air attacks, conduct reconnaissance, search and defensive actions" by the participating countries. 6/
http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12313709@egNews
The 2nd stage will involve the group of ground forces, aviation and air defense forces, the Black Sea Fleet, and the Caspian Flotilla conducting offensive actions to defeat the mock enemy with a massive fire strike. It will include ZVO, YuVO, VDV, VTA, and long-range aviation. 7/
Fomin said Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar, and Pakistan were invited to take part in the joint group of ground forces, and Azerbaijan and Iran were invited to participate in the exercise in the Caspian sea. (India was previously supposed to take part but pulled out). 8/
Video of Belarusian and Chinese servicemen arriving at Kapustin Yar for the Kavkaz 2020 exercise with COVID-19 mitigation efforts in place. 10/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=85Wk268n3Gg&feature=emb_logo
The flag raising ceremony for Kavkaz took place today at the Kapustin Yar training area in Astrakhan. Troops from Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Russia took part in the ceremony. 11/
Today is the first day of the Kavkaz 2020 exercise. Southern Military District Su-27 and Su-30SM fighters have gone on simulated combat alert to conduct air defense missions at airfields in Crimea, Krasnodar, Stavropol, and Rostov. 12/
https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/202092116-OUWF9.html?utm_source=tvzvezda&utm_medium=longpage&utm_campaign=longpage&utm_term=v1
Presumably, this includes the 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Belbek, the 3rd Composite Aviation Regiment in Krymsk, and the 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment in Millerovo. 13/
The Southern Military District's ensemble sang for a group of PLA soldiers at Kapustin Yar yesterday. 14/
https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/2020918107-kYGD9.html?utm_source=tvzvezda&utm_medium=longpage&utm_campaign=longpage&utm_term=v1
PLA Lt Gen Liu Xiaowu (I might be misspelling his name) said, "This event shows the development and strengthening of our bilateral relations and the mutual trust between the 2 armies," regarding China's decision to send troops amidst the COVID pandemic.15/
https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/2020918107-kYGD9.html?utm_source=tvzvezda&utm_medium=longpage&utm_campaign=longpage&utm_term=v1
Video of the 1536th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment's S-300PM systems going on combat duty for the Kavkaz 2020 exercise. A unified control system was established for air defense forces participating in the exercise. 17/
https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/2020921324-5t40A.html?utm_source=tvzvezda&utm_medium=longpage&utm_campaign=longpage&utm_term=v1
18/ https://twitter.com/halmiso1/status/1307923970084294656
Southern Military District Borisoglebsk-2 and other EW systems, communications units, and the VDV's 56th Air Assault Brigade's C2 systems (Andromeda-D?) set up command posts at the Prudboy training area and are providing C-UAS coverage. 20/
https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/2020921150-VjtLS.html?utm_source=tvzvezda&utm_medium=longpage&utm_campaign=longpage&utm_term=v1
A new mine-clearing MICLIC vehicle based on a BMP-3 chassis is being shown off at the exercise. 22/
https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/20209211438-Ik7xh.html?utm_source=tvzvezda&utm_medium=longpage&utm_campaign=longpage&utm_term=v1
The Southern Military District and Black Sea Fleet's ensembles both performed for the multinational grouping of troops at Kapustin Yar and servicemen played soccer, basketball, and cricket. 23/
https://vk.com/mil?z=video-133441491_456244350%2F8712ebe7e8118e17d6%2Fpl_wall_-133441491
Photos of troops from China, Myanmar, Belarus, and Armenia during the flag raising ceremony. 25/
https://vk.com/milinfolive?w=wall-123538639_1580456
Photos of Pakistani servicemen and a Mi-28UB helicopter during the ceremony. 26/
https://vk.com/milinfolive?w=wall-123538639_1580456
Photo of a serviceman from each of the country's participating in the joint land forces grouping at Kavkaz 2020: Armenia, Belarus, China, Russia, Myanmar, and Pakistan. Iran and Azerbaijan are participating in maneuvers in the Caspian Sea, as well. 27/
https://vk.com/milinfolive?w=wall-123538639_1580456&z=photo-123538639_457483394%2Fwall-123538639_1580456
Around 1k foreign servicemen were invited to participate in the exercise. Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Sri Lanka are all sending observers as well. 28/
https://www.militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=1&nid=538158&lang=RU
Alexander Fomin said ~ 80k personnel would take part in the exercise, including Rosgvardia, EMERCOM, PVO, Navy, combat, and support units, but he said only 12.9k operating under a single operational command would fall under the Vienna Document 2011. 29/
https://structure.mil.ru/mission/practice/all/kavkaz-2020/news/more.htm?id=12313709@egNews
He said the exercise will involve up to 250 tanks, 450 IFV/APCs, and up to 200 artillery pieces and MLRS. Kavkaz 2020 will take place at the Kapustin Yar, Ashuluk, Prudboy, Adanak, Raevsky, Arzgirsky, and Kopansky training areas and Black/Caspian Seas. 30/
https://www.militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=1&nid=538158&lang=RU
Video showing Tunguska air defense systems and the new Uran-3 (they look like Uran-6) UGVs that will be used to clear fields at Kapustin Yar. 31/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=y_n5QKB1kjU&feature=emb_logo
https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/2020921835-UdFxi.html?utm_source=tvzvezda&utm_medium=longpage&utm_campaign=longpage&utm_term=v1
VDV, ground forces, naval infantry, air defense, and air force assets moving into position for the exercise. 32/
Last month, Russian conducted an exercise with 10 Uran-6 mine-clearing UGVs and Uran-14 UGVs. We'll likely see a similar demonstration of multiple UGVs at Kavkaz 2020. 33/ https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1293895076096151553
According to the MoD, Kavkaz-2020 will "focus on combating cruise missiles and UAVs, as well as on fire and EW activities against entire enemy formations, on training airborne troops’ vertical envelopment capability and ways to rapidly shift between military activities," 34/
T-72B3 tanks, BMP-2 IFVs, and Tor-M2 air defense systems at the Prudboy training area. 36/
https://vk.com/mil?w=wall-133441491_371824
>20 Black Sea Fleet ships went to sea. During the 1st phase, they are focused on counter-mine and ASW ops with the Vladimir Emelyanov and Ivan Antonov Project 12700, Valentin Pikul Project 266ME, and Vice Admiral Zakharyin Project 02668 minesweepers. 37/
https://vk.com/mil?w=wall-133441491_371852
Those 4 minesweepers conducted recon and then escorted BSF ships and submarines through a simulated mined area. Some ships practiced firing on the simulated mines. 38/
https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/202092131-UgGFU.html?utm_source=tvzvezda&utm_medium=longpage&utm_campaign=longpage&utm_term=v1
In addition, the BSF's Moskva Project 1164, Pytlivyy Project 1135M, Orekhovo-Zuyevo and Vyshniy Volochyok Project 21631, Tsezar Kunikov, Azov, Novocherkassk Project 775, Naberezhnye Chelny, Ivanovets, Shuya, and R-60 Project 1241, and Samum Project 1239 will take part. 39/
More than 30 ships from the Caspian Flotilla, including the Dagestan Project 11661K; Grad Sviyazhsk, Astrakhan, Volgodonsk, and Makhachkala Project 21630/1 MRK; minesweepers, Project 21980 Grachonok, and Raptor fast attack craft will take part in the exercise. 40/
The MoD released an infographic for Kavkaz 2020. Note, the figures on the bottom left show the forces they say fall under the Vienna Document 2011, but the entire force, taking into account combat and non-combat forces, will be closer to 80k. 42/
https://structure.mil.ru/mission/practice/all/more.htm?id=12312963@egNews
Il-76MD transport aircraft will take off from Taganrog and Ulyanovsk and drop them at two LZs from an altitude of 600-900 meters. BMD-4M will be dropped with PBS-950U and MKS-350 parachute systems. 44/
At Kapustin Yar and Prudboy, the 31st Air Assault Brigade will conduct a heliborne operation with Mi-8AMTSh and Mi-26 helicopters carrying D-30 122m howitzers, Niva Kotyonok (kitten) and Eskadron buggies with 120mm Sani mortars, Kord HMGs, AGS-17, and UAZ pickups with PKPs. 45/
The 31st Air Assault Brigade was the VDV's experimental unit for an organic heliborne air assault force. At Vostok 2018, it practiced a company-level heliborne operation and at Tsentr 2019, battalion-level. 46/ https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1175166111626739712
Southern Military District engineer forces repaired a railway bridge after it was destroyed, and then set up ferries and pontoon bridges to allow motorized rifle forces with BMP-3 IFVs and T-72B3 tanks to cross a river. 48/
https://vk.com/mil?w=wall-133441491_371964
https://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12315346@egNews
Southern Military District bridging units conducted a series of exercises last month to help Ground Forces units cross a number of rivers. Not surprising that this will be a point of emphasis at Kavkaz 2020. 49/ https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1295373801845334017
The Black Sea Fleet's 810th Naval Infantry Brigade loaded up BTR-82A and other equipment on the Tsesar Kunikov, Azov, and Novocherkassk Project 775 Ropucha-class large landing ships in preparation for an amphibious assault on the Taman Peninsula. 50/
https://vk.com/mil?w=wall-133441491_372027
>1.5k servicemen and 500 pieces of equipment made a 150km march to the Tsabal and Nagvalou TA in Abkhazia. They will train alongside Abkhazian forces with S-300, T-72B3, BTR-82AM, Shturm ATGM carriers, 2S3, and Ka-52, Mi-8, and Mi-8AMTSh helicopters. 51/
https://vk.com/mil?w=wall-133441491_371991
The joint Abkhazian and Russian forces from the 7th Military Base will conduct a live fire exercise firing on targets in the mountains as well as repelling an amphibious landing. 52/
https://www.militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=1&nid=538186&lang=RU
https://vk.com/mil?w=wall-133441491_371991
The Caspian Flotilla's 177th Naval Infantry Regiment was alerted and made a movement to the Turali, Adanak, and Zelenomorsk training areas and BTR-82A vehicles, Tornado-G MLRS, and 122mm D-30 howitzers took up positions to repel an amphibious landing. 53/
https://vk.com/mil?w=wall-133441491_371981
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