Airborne troops conduct amphibious landing at Crimea

Units belonging to the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division conducted an amphibious landing on the Opuk training ground at the Crimean Peninsula. The exercise was part of larger military maneuvers held by Russian airborne forces on the peninsula over the previous days. The fact that airborne units were used in a task which is traditionally assigned to Russian Naval Infantry suggests that Russia tested the interoperability of its ground forces against an enemy attack upon the Crimea Peninsula. 

RFS Ceasar Kunikov approaching the Opuk training ground

Around 400 airborne troops, supported by over 30 military vehicles, were transported to the Opuk training ground by two landing tank ships. Russian media identified these ships as the RFS Ceasar Kunikov and the RFS Azov. Both vessels are part of the Ropucha-class LST's, each capable of transporting up to 340 soldiers and a dozen armored vehicles. Following the initial landing operation, both ships conducted gunnery exercises against simulated seaborne and coastal targets as well as an air defense exercise against an attack conducted by Su-24M aircraft.

The airborne units themselves were training two tasks during this exercise, namely destroying an enemy military camp as well as holding an amphibious beachhead. These exercise following the current pattern whereby Russian ground forces are training all aspects of defending the Peninsula against a military attack. Previous exercise included the defense of the Opuk training ground against an amphibious assault, the reinforcement of the Peninsula, the securing of strategic and defensive positions as well as forced marches and counterattacking against an advancing enemy. All these exercises allow the Russian ground force to gain valuable training experience which can be used against an uprising by a local militia on the Peninsula or against an invasion of outside military forces.

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