Russian troops conduct landing drills near Trump-Putin summit site
Russian special forces have conducted landing exercises on an island near the Gulf of Finland just days before a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Putin.
According to a statement from Russia’s Western Military District, on July 10, their forces parachuted onto Gogland Island from a Mi-8AMTSH helicopter at an altitude of 2,500 meters. The soldiers used satellite equipment to land at a predetermined area. Upon landing, they camouflaged their parachutes and advanced deep into the island to destroy communications and communications facilities, radars, and air defense missile systems.
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| Russian special forces parachute from an altitude of 2,500m. |
The island had a helipad, but after destroying all the targets, the force prepared a landing zone for the helicopters to take them away. The soldiers participating in this exercise were all elite fighters who had performed hundreds of parachute jumps.
Gogland Island is located in the center of the Gulf of Finland and has an area of only about 2 km2It was an important military base before the Cold War ended in 1991 due to being surrounded by the territories of Finland, Estonia and Russia.
The exercise comes at a time when European countries are concerned about Russia's provocations after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In addition, on July 16, President Putin will also have a summit with President Trump in the Finnish capital Helsinki, located only about 100km from Gogland Island.
