By Vestnik Kavkaza
Today Russia marks Airborne Troops Day. In recent years the authorities have been trying to make meetings of former comrade-in-arms civilized and organize their meetings in Gorky Park, Sokolniki, Izmailovo, Poklonnaya Hill and the All-Russian Exhibition Center. There will be concerts, performances, shows, food and drinks. Airborne equipment will be demonstrated. Arrangements will later shift to Ilinka Street and Red Square.
“Thank God, we are celebrating the 83rd anniversary in peace,” the commander of the AT, Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov says. “We have ended recruitment and more than 9000 have joined our Airborne Troops. They all have jumped already. Though those who swore allegiance last weekend have jumped only once. According to the latest data, there were 1500 paratroopers. A paratrooper differs from a parachute jumper by the fact that the first jump he makes from an Il-76 is with weapons. It makes a jumper a soldier or an officer – a paratrooper.
All the jumps were successful and the young soldiers fulfilled their targets. We have completed recruitment to the Ryazan Airborne School, which has come back under the command of the AT. After additional recruiting, we got 250 people at the Special Force Department which was shifted from Novosibirsk. Today the Ryazan School opens its doors to 500 people. We prepare specialists on management in Airborne Troops, military intelligence, communications, and so on. The troops received the Polet-K system, which enables implementation of many tasks. It was decided to provide troops with the automated system of the new generation Andromeda, which will launch troops at the new level of managing troops and arms due to such machineries as BMD-4M and Shell. This is the nearest prospect. Airborne Troops – the reserve of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief – are battle-worthy and ready to fulfil the tasks set by the President and the Defense Minister.”
