Russian army practices remote mine interception, amphibious combat vehicles are reinforced for Crimea

Special exercises of the Russian Engineer Corps

"The engineering units studied the skills of laying mixed mines with the promising means of the UMZ-K "Kleshch" multipurpose mine-explosive obstacle clearance device. In addition, they used new technical ammunition, including the PTKM-1R anti-mine ammunition," the statement said.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, this is the first time the remote mine-laying method has been applied.

During the exercise, soldiers practiced "pulling a simulated enemy into a minefield to then intercept and destroy it."

Illustration photo.

The exercise is being held in the Western Military District in preparation for the Western-2021 strategic exercise. More than 8,000 servicemen and over 1,500 units of military equipment are participating in the exercise.

Strengthening Crimean defense

The Marine Corps brigade stationed on the peninsula will be equipped with several amphibious combat vehicles - specifically, the BMP-3F tracked vehicles that can swim underwater, Izvestia sources in the military establishment said.

The new vehicle that the brigade is about to receive has a number of outstanding features, including the ability to transfer troops from the deck of a landing ship, swim through some sea areas, go ashore and continue moving. In terms of firepower, the BMP-3F is not inferior to tanks, and its armament includes anti-tank missiles, 100 mm and 30 mm cannons. Moreover, this combat vehicle is of interest to foreign customers due to its advantages in combat power and reliability.

Note that this improved version of the combat vehicle will help the “black beret” (marines) to significantly increase their combat power as well as contribute to improving the defense capabilities of the Crimean peninsula.

Russian army at an important event. Illustration photo

“The Marine Corps needs to strengthen its weapons and combat vehicles, but until recently there were no combat vehicles with suitable amphibious capabilities. Currently, the force mainly uses BTR-82 wheeled combat vehicles and their improved variants to land troops on land,” military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told the Izvestia newspaper.