“This year, we conducted 11 joint exercises through the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.”-Colonel General (U.S. equivalent Lieutenant General) Alexander Lapin, Central Military District, December 2021
In Russia’s Central Military District there were 11 wargames held in 2021. They spread across Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The wargames also included military units from Armenia, Belarus, China, India and Pakistan.
This covers some of what went down in Tajikistan.
Russian Defense Ministry video, January 2021, first Mi-24P & Mi-8MTV5-1 operations of the year:
Russian Defense Ministry video, January 2021, first live-fire gunnery of the year; T-72s (notice the T-72 T-C is wearing a damn Pandemic face mask!) & BTR-82As:
Russian Defense Ministry video, February 2021, live-fire gunnery for mechanized infantry:
Russian Defense Ministry video, March 2021, all those BTRs and T-72s are thirsty:
A full-on wargame was held in Tajikistan, at the end of April 2021, involving more than 3-thousand-5-hundred Russian and Tajik personnel.
Russian Defense Ministry video, April 2021, Sukhoi 25s arrive for the games:
Russian Defense Ministry video, April 2021, BM-21 Grad rocket launchers (the Russian word translates to ‘flamethrower’):
Russian Defense Ministry video, April 2021, load, aim and fire your BM-21:
Mi-8MTV5-1s were busy working training sorties along with Mi-24Ps. Central Military District photo.
Russian Defense Ministry video, April 2021, Mil 24P (NATO reporting name Hind-F):
Russian Defense Ministry video, April 2021, BTR-82A:
BTR-82A, in the Khatlon region at the Kharb-Maydon training ground. Central Military District photo.
1-thousand targets were set-up for the August 5-10 wargame in the Khatlon Region, on the Kharb-Maydon training ground.
Anti-tank rocket launchers. The Russian word translates as ‘flamethrower’, this is confusing because in English a flamethrower is a different type of weapon.
The scenario of the August Tajikistan wargame was that the Central Asian country was invaded. About 2-thousand-5-hundred personnel from Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took part, with about 5-hundred vehicles.
T-72, Central Military District photo.
In November, Russian troops from the 201st Military Base in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, got to try out their new 5.45mm AK-12 assault rifles during the Cobalt 2021 wargame. Central Military District video:
March of the Pigs. Idaho Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Joshua C. Allmaras, 24OCT2016.
Idaho Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Joshua C. Allmaras, 24OCT2016.
The 124th Fighter Wing/190th Fighter Squadron’s mission in Turkey was to attack DAIISH (DA for al-DAwla, I for al-Islamiya, I for al-Iraq, SH al-SHam [al-Sham=Syria]), aka Islamic State, aka ISIS, aka ISIL, positions inside Syria.
Idaho Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Joshua C. Allmaras, 23OCT2016.
When the 124th FW/190th FS finally returned to The Gem State of Idaho, in October 2016, taxpayers got to see that A-10Cs aren’t afraid of getting down and dirty.
Idaho Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Joshua C. Allmaras, 24OCT2016.
Idaho Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Joshua C. Allmaras, 24OCT2016.
Idaho Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Joshua C. Allmaras, 24OCT2016.
Idaho Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Joshua C. Allmaras, 24OCT2016.
On 02FEB2022, Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, Commander of Russia’s Central Military District, reported that “Since the beginning of the year, 76 company tactical exercises have been conducted with the part of motorized rifle and tank units, including 11 ostentatious ones, during which the number of practical tasks performed has been increased by 12%, and the number of group tasks has been increased by 24%.”
On 31JAN2022, Russia’s Southern Military District reported that crews operating BTR-82A and BMP-3 armored vehicles began warming up their guns with live-fire drills.
The vehicles are armed with guns of 100mm, 30mm and 7.62mm calibers.
Southern Military District video, BTR-82A live fire gunnery:
Southern Military District video, BMP-3 live fire gunnery:
Western Military District photo.
On 31JAN2022, a NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) competition began in the Kursk Region, as part of the 2022 Army International Games.
Western Military District photo.
On the same day, in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the first qualifying stage of the communications competition ended.
Russian Western Military District photo.
On 30JAN2022, Western Military District engineers took part in the 2022 Army International Games, in the Voronezh Region.
BTR-80 undergoes NBC decontamination. Russian Southern Military District photo.
On 28JAN2022, Southern Military District reported that NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) competition had begun, as part of the 2022 Army International Games taking place in the Volgograd Region.
Russian Ministry of Defense video of arrival of some of the S-400 vehicles:
The S-400 Triumph units will be based in the Brest Region of Belarus.
Russian Western Military District photo.
On 02FEB2022, Russia’s Western Military District announced it began wargames using the S-400 systems. The ‘live-fire’ wargame is being held across the Leningrad Region of Russia, and includes other anti-aircraft systems like the S-300 Favorit, Pantsir-S, Tor and Buk-M3.
The S-400 Triumph is an anti-aircraft missile system comprised of many types of vehicles.
Russian Western Military District photo.
On 01FEB2022, Russia’s Western Military District completed an anti-aircraft wargame in the Moscow Region using the Tor system of the Guards Tank Army. The wargame scenario was that U.S./NATO was trying to bomb an important target in the Moscow Region.
Russian Western Military District photo.
On 31JAN2022, Russia’s Western Military District reported that the Baltic Fleet had completed anti-aircraft training for its Bal system. The Bal system is specifically for defense of coastal areas.
“The crews of T-72B3 tanks operating as part of armored units of the Southern Military District’s army corps have kicked off a firing exercise at the Angarsky training ground in the Republic of Crimea. The firing exercise is being held under a combat training plan of armored units of a coastal defense formation. The tank crews are live-firing guns both from the halt by direct fire and on the move across rough terrain in a mock encounter battle.”-Russian Black Sea Fleet press release, 25JAN2022
Russian units began getting upgraded T-72B3s in 2017. They have more powerful motors, new targeting systems, rear facing camera, and ‘Relikt’ reactive armor. Russian Western Military District photo, September 2017.
TASS Russian News Agency reported that the current wargame in Crimea involves the “upgraded” T-72B3, but did not specifically say it was the robotized/autonomous upgrade. Currently Russia is using the T-72B3-2016 version, aka T-72B3M, identified by its Relikt reactive armor.
Russian Western Military District photo, June 2017.
Crimea is a peninsula jutting into the Black Sea, and for several hundred years has been a disputed territory. Russia took control from the Ottoman Empire in the 1780s, following the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-74. In 1954, during the time of the Soviet Union, it was decided to allow Ukraine to have control. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine leased Crimea’s ports to the Russian Military Maritime Fleet (navy). During the 2013-14 Western backed (openly, by U.S. politicians who actually went to Ukraine to call for revolution, like John McCain in December 2013) Ukrainian insurgency, Russia decided to invade Crimea to protect what it believes are its naval ports. Crimea is now part of the Russian Southern Military District.
Southern Military District T-72B3M, September 2020. You can see what I assume are the upgraded gunner’s sights.
In September 2020, the Southern Military District held a wargame called Kavkaz 2020. It involved not only Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Caspian Flotilla, the naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but also army units from Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar, and Pakistan. As many as 80-thousand personnel participated. One of the goals of Kavkaz-2020 was to apply lessons learned fighting insurgents in Syria.
Southern Military District video of T-72B3M kicking up a lot of dust during Kavkaz-2020:
Southern Military District video of T-72B3 live fire during Kavkaz-2020:
From a wargame in the Western Military District, April 2021. Notice one of the Relikt panels are missing.
New Cold War 2022:RUSSIA DEPLOYS TO BELARUS, PREPS FOR INVASION BY NATO!“So will there be a war or not? Yes, there will be, but only in two cases: if Belarus suffers a direct aggression, if a hot war is unleashed against our Belarus. We will stand united as one – even those who don’t want to – to defend our land and our homeland. And the second possibility, when a war may happen and Belarus will take part in it: if our ally Russia suffers a direct attack, if such aggression is committed against the Russian Federation. The grounds for that are our allied agreements.”-Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus
“So will there be a war or not? Yes, there will be, but only in two cases: if Belarus suffers a direct aggression, if a hot war is unleashed against our Belarus. We will stand united as one – even those who don’t want to – to defend our land and our homeland. And the second possibility, when a war may happen and Belarus will take part in it: if our ally Russia suffers a direct attack, if such aggression is committed against the Russian Federation. The grounds for that are our allied agreements.”-Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, quoted by TASS Russian News Agency
A BMP based engineer vehicle disembarks a rail-car in Belarus, 19JAN2022. Photo via Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Since 19JAN2022, Russian forces (Eastern Military District ground and air units, and Pacific Fleet ground units) began arriving in the Republic of Belarus, which is just north of Ukraine. The official reason is to ‘inspect’ Belarusian forces for readiness, which is expected to take until the end of February. Russian officials say it is in compliance with the Vienna Document of 2011.
Russian Defense Ministry video of BMP-2, trucks, BMP engineer vehicle being off-loaded in Belarus, 19JAN2022:
Part of the ‘inspection’ will include a wargame called Union Courage 2022, conducted from February 10th to 20th. The premise of the wargame is an invasion by U.S./NATO.
S-400 anti-aircraft system. Photo via Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
On 21JAN2022, Russia’s Eastern Military District announced that two divisions of S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft systems were on their way to Belarus. The S-400 system consists of several types of vehicles. Video of load-up on rail-cars:
This is Russian Defense Ministry video, recorded on 25JAN2022, showing the arrival of the self propelled artillery gun known as 2S3 Akatsiya:
Su-35S of the Eastern Military District deployed to Belarus, 26JAN2022. Photo via Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Russian Defense Ministry video of Sukhoi 35S ‘multi-role’ aircraft deploying to Belarus, 26JAN2022:
Su-35S aircraft of the Eastern Military District arrive in Belarus, 26-27JAN2022. Photo via Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Russian Defense Ministry video of Sukhoi 35S ‘multi-role’ aircraft arriving in Belarus:
Russian Defense Ministry video from 28JAN2022, more trains loaded with Russian vehicles arrive in Belarus:
28JAN2022, A24 News Agency report revealing that the recent so-called Islamic State prison break in Syria caused so much collateral damage, during the resulting days-long battle involving ‘Islamic State’, Syrian forces, Kurdish YPG and U.S. Army, that civilians fled to Musab bin Omair mosque and are afraid to return to their homes:
27JAN2022, 4Kurdistan TV video shows Kurdish YPG/U.S. Army ground forces after the ‘islamic state’ prison break inside Syria:
U.S. Army photo by Sergeant First Class Jay Townsend, 28JAN2022.
On 28JAN2022, the U.S. Army Reserve’s 90th Sustainment Brigade, in Arkansas, said good-bye to nearly 1-hundred of its soldiers as they prepared for deployment to Southwest Asia-Central Command Area of Responsibility (CentCom AoR).
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Megan Beatty, Ämari Air Base, Estonia, 26JAN2022.
26JAN2022, six F-15E Strike Eagles were deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base(AFB), North Carolina, to Ämari Air Base in the tiny Eastern European country of Estonia.
USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Megan Beatty, 24JAN2022.
24JAN2022, U.S. Air Force personnel from Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, and Royal Air Force personnel from RAF Lakenheath, England, arrive on Ämari Air Base, Estonia.
24JAN2022, U.S. President Joe Biden alerts 8-thousand-5-hundred stateside personnel of possible deployment to Eastern Europe:
National Guard photo by Captain Titus Firmin, 22JAN2022.
On 22JAN2022, it was revealed that about 50 personnel from both Kansas and Missouri Army National Guards were deploying to somewhere in Southwest Asia (Iraq, Kuwait, ?).
U.S. Army photo by Photo by Staff Sergeant Ashley Dotson, 21JAN2022.
On 21JAN2022, Alpha Company, 553 Division Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade, held a color casing ceremony on Fort Bliss, Texas, for its deployment to Poland.
20JAN2022, hundreds of Arizona Army National Guard personnel deployed to the border with Mexico:
South Carolina Army National Guard photo by Sergeant Tim Andrews.
16JAN2022, South Carolina Army National Guard deployed about 150 personnel from the 133rd Military Police Company, 51st Military Police Battalion, 59th Troop Command, to Southwest Asia.
15JAN2022, a U.S. Army financial operations unit, from California, deployed to CentCom AoR (Central Command Area of Responsibility: Southwest Asia):
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristin Weathersby, 10JAN2022.
On 10JAN2022, Airman from Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq.
On 10JAN2022, the U.S. Army’s Automated Movement and Identification Solutions (AMIS) office announced ‘enhancements’ to simplify the logistical process of deployments, such as routing and tracking multiple convoys of the Army National Guard across highway systems. Essentially, the new computer upgrades are meant to prevent traffic jams when massive amounts of military vehicles are being deployed on public roads. AMIS administrators say the enhancements will save time and money. They are planning a future ‘enhancement’ that will allow the military logistics programs to interface with commercial/civilian logistics programs. Supply shortages?
Kentucky Army National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Andy Dickson, 06JAN2022.
06JAN2022, Kentucky Army National Guard deployed 2-hundred of its personnel with the 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Brigade, to Kosovo. The deployment ceremony was held in a local mega-church.
Kentucky Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Benjamin Crane, 05JAN2022.
05JAN2022, the Kentucky Army National Guard deployed its 198th Military Police Battalion to Kosovo.
Washington National Guard photo by Joseph Siemandel, 05JAN2022.
On 05JAN2022, it was revealed that the state of Washington’s Army National Guard would be deploying to Poland. At least 1-hundred members of the 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment and 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion are now on Fort Bliss, Texas, for deployment training. This deployment comes just as another Washington Army National Guard unit returned from Ukraine.
Video of Washington National Guard deployment by Peter Change:
U.S. Air Force Photo by Captain Kevyn Kaler, 04JAN2022.
04JAN2022, the U.S. Air Force deployed F-16s, normally based in Germany, to Poland as part of NATO’s increased presence in Eastern Europe. USAF video explainer by Staff Sergeant Melody Howley and Senior Airman Ali Stewart:
Virginia Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Terra C. Gatti, 02JAN2022.
On 02JAN2022, the Virginia Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, began their deployment to Kosovo.
Virginia Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Terra C. Gatti, 02JAN2022.
Virginia Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Terra C. Gatti, 02JAN2022.
Oregon National Guard photo by John Hugel, 02JAN2022.
On 02JAN2022, the Oregon Army National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment was deployed to what is being called the European Deterrence Initiative. It should be noted that other Oregon Guard personnel deployed to the Middle East a couple months ago, and the Oregon Guard has also been deployed to local hospitals (yet again)!
Oregon National Guard photo by John Hugel, 02JAN2022.
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted President Biden’s vaccine mandate for private sector workers, including cross border truckers. However, Canada has imposed a vax mandate on truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border and already Canada is reporting that the cost to truck produce (fruit & veg) from the U.S. into Canada jumped by 25%!
Canada’s vax mandate on truckers began on 15 January, while Biden’s mandate was supposed to start on 22 January. Canada’s mandate is already causing massive delays in shipping, even cancelations, which result in less product in the stores to meet demand, which jacks-up prices. Also, ‘fully’ vaccinated drivers can now command top pay, again causing prices for end users (consumers) to go up.
Driver’s from Mexico, crossing through the U.S. into Canada, must also meet the new vax mandate.
Don’t take my word, here’s a list of links and video reports:
Truck dispatching company, AFT Dispatch/A2C Logistics Co, says Canada-U.S. vax mandates are double whammy for already struggling logistics operations, affecting at least 38-thousand truckers, as well as prices for food, lumber and oil:
CTV News warns of massive loss of drivers, government official says vax mandates are a good thing:
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports government officials made an ‘error’ in reporting vax mandate for truckers:
RUSSIAN OPS IN TAJIKISTAN, 2021 VIDEO-FEST. (including Su-25)
