More than 20 units of CSTO Armed Forces will practise countering illegal armed formations at the at Cooperation 2017 exercise.

Motorized rifle, artillery, and Airborne units of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Tajikistan are to operate jointly with aviation, military police, and EMERCOM at the Bagramyan range in Armenia in course of the most large-scale stages of the exercise.

Air defence units will be involved in the exercise in order to detect reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles of the simulated enemy.

Reconnaissance units of the Russian military base in Armenia are to use drones to detect sabotage groups and correct fire of reconnaissance fire system.

Moreover, electronic warfare, NBC protection, engineer, and communication units will support actions of main ground forces.

In total, more than 2,500 troops and about 500 pieces of armament and military hardware, including 25 aircraft, are involved in the exercise.

The exercise is headed by Commander of the Southern MD troops Colonel General Alexander Dvornikov.