YEKATERINBURG, July 22 - RIA Novosti. Il-76 aircraft have begun delivering the BMP-2M to the Russian military base in Tajikistan to participate in joint exercises of the military contingents of Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the Central Military District (CVO) reported on Thursday.
"Il-76 military transport aircraft arrived from Russia at the Hissar airfield to deliver modernized infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-2M) to the 201st Russian military base stationed in Tajikistan," the report says.
A batch of 17 modernized combat vehicles will enter service with motorized rifle units by the end of July to replace earlier modifications.
The BMP-2M has an automatic fire control system that allows the commander and the gunner to act as a single unit during the day and at night. The BMP-2M is also equipped with panoramic aiming and observation devices that have night vision functionality. A new radio station R-168 "Aqueduct" has been installed, which is able to work steadily in the conditions of radio-electronic influence from the enemy. The BMP-2M is designed to transport military personnel to the front edge, increase their mobility, armament and security.
The modernized infantry vehicles will take part in a joint exercise of the military contingents of Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the period from August 5 to 10 at the Harb-Maydon training ground in the Khatlon region of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Central Military District specifies.
In Afghanistan, there is a confrontation between government forces and the militants of the Taliban movement*, who have seized significant territories in rural areas and launched an offensive on major cities. Instability in Afghanistan is growing against the backdrop of the US administration's promises to complete the withdrawal of troops from Afghan soil by September 11. In 2020, Washington and representatives of the Taliban* signed the first peace agreement in Doha in more than 18 years of war. It provides for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in 14 months and the beginning of an inter-Afghan dialogue after the exchange of prisoners.
* A terrorist organization banned in Russia.