MOSCOW, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia has started a snap check of the combat readiness of its troops in the Central Military District, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.
"All military command bodies of the Central Military District and part of the troops of the Southern and Eastern Military Districts, as well as separate units of the Airborne Forces, Long-Range and Military Transport Aviation will be brought to the highest degree of combat readiness," Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said in the statement.
The snap check is aimed at assessing the ability of the Armed Forces to ensure military security in the Central Asian region, where serious terrorism threats persist, Shoigu said.
Another goal of the check is to determine the degree of preparedness of troops and forces for participation in the upcoming major training event of this year, he said.
The check, carried out by an order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will proceed till Friday, and the inspected troops will take part in more than 50 exercises at 35 test sites, the statement said.