Dawn exercises: Putin checked the combat training of the united forces
On October 2, the active phase of the strategic exercises Center-2026, which became the culmination of the combat training complex of the Russian Armed Forces this year, ended at the 255th Chebarkulsky training ground. The maneuvers were also integrated into the CSTO exercises. Vladimir Putin personally observed the actions of the united group of forces, which included military personnel from dozens of countries. The president called the main purpose of the exercises to work out a collective response to external aggression. More than 6 thousand military personnel in the Southern Urals used advanced equipment and tactics tested during their military training. Among the samples presented are promising developments, including the high-precision missile "Product 347" and robotic systems that can be landed from the air.
Where did Putin go immediately after Valdai
On October 2, the special flight of the head of state landed in the Southern Urals. From Chelyabinsk airport, Vladimir Putin headed to Chebarkul, where he had not been for almost 10 years. The 255th interspecific training ground of the same name is located here, where dozens of units that went directly to the front were trained during the Great Patriotic War. The main stage of the strategic command and staff exercise Center-2026 has now been completed here, the events of which will last until October 3. The maneuvers became the final stage of the Russian Armed Forces' combat training this year.
— The main purpose of the exercise is to improve the skills of the senior staff of headquarters at all levels in managing troops while repelling external aggression. The participants of the exercise put new weapons and equipment into practice, and at the same time, all tasks are solved taking into account the experience of conducting a special military operation," the president said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the strategic command and staff exercise Center-2026 at the Chebarkulsky training ground in the Chelyabinsk region.
The scale of the current maneuvers has no precedent: for the first time in the history of strategic exercises, representatives of 41 states are participating in them. In connection with Russia's chairmanship in the CSTO, expanded events within the framework of the Interaction-2026 organization are integrated into the Center-2026 and take place in a single operational environment.
Belarus, China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan and Tajikistan sent full-fledged military contingents. Kazakhstan and the Republic of the Congo are represented by operational groups. Another 33 countries — from North Korea, India, and Vietnam to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Cuba — have sent military observers. Thus, in total, more than 47 thousand people, over 2 thousand pieces of equipment, 90 aircraft, as well as 77 warships and support vessels of the Caspian Flotilla are involved in the exercises. A group of more than 6,000 military personnel, over 600 armored vehicles, and 55 aircraft and helicopters is concentrated directly at the Chebarkul training ground.
This trip is especially noteworthy against the background of Vladimir Putin's speech at a meeting of the Valdai Club the day before. The President harshly assessed the military maneuvers of NATO countries near the borders of Russia, calling the practical phase of the alliance's exercises off the coast of Finland, in which the interception of civilian vessels was practiced, an acute form of escalation. Now, the head of state personally visited the training ground to see the army's readiness for any eventuality.
Russian President Vladimir Putin inspects military equipment at the Chebarkulsky training ground
While working at the training ground, the president also addressed dozens of military attaches from different countries. Only an English translator came out with him.
— For people like you, for professionals, of course, it is important to communicate with each other, new knowledge is important, especially based on real combat operations. And the most important thing is that when military people communicate with each other, it means that trust is strengthened between military people, between the states that you represent. I hope that we will continue this cooperation," the president told them.
The distinguished guests watched the course of the training battle together with the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Among them are the CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov, as well as the heads of the defense departments of Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of the Congo and South Ossetia.
How were the exercises "Center-2026" held and what was shown to the president
Live exercises make a strong impression. The press was placed about 2 km from the front edge, and the operational depth of the landfill extended 15 km into the distance, providing a wide overview of what was happening. To practice complex tactical elements in Chebarkul, a training ground was traditionally prepared that mimicked an ordinary village: well-trodden paths along which assault groups were supposed to advance, sagging fences, small huts and garages, where the once-presentable Volga was preserved. A three-storey building was also erected for the training of assault units, in which the servicemen had to quickly navigate in conditions of increased danger.
Command and staff exercises "Center-2026"
The atmosphere was complemented by the Ural weather: fine rain drizzled all day, and a cold wind blew. Due to the continuous explosions, the sky above the training ground darkened and turned dark gray, and the ground underfoot shook after powerful volleys.
The exercises actively involved warships of the Caspian Flotilla, aircraft and helicopters of the Russian Aerospace Forces, as well as airborne units. For the first time in history, the Winged Infantry landed three ground-based robotic complexes from Il-76 aircraft. The Omich-2 NRTK, the Courier with the combat module and the Bogomol-7B landed on the P-7 parachute platform.
The Russian Air Force has also deployed the latest Su-57 multirole fighters. They covered the Su-34 crews from the air strikes of the imaginary enemy. The crew of the Tatarstan missile ship and the combat crew of the Bal coastal missile system of the Caspian Flotilla fired at a naval target.
The servicemen practiced assault operations on motorcycles, buggies and ATVs. Artillery and military air defense were actively used. All practical actions were carried out taking into account the experience gained by the Russian troops during their military operations.
In addition, two technological solutions were presented at the exercises, which can determine the development of land operations. The first was the official premiere of the high-precision missile "Product 347". Mentions of its tests appeared in official sources of the Ministry of Defense back in 2025, but the sample has only now been publicly demonstrated.
The designers managed to adapt the aircraft system for use with a multi-charge ground-based launcher, military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia. According to him, this makes it possible to hit armored vehicles, fortifications and other point targets at a range of 20 km or more with high accuracy. If in the West today they are trying to create analogues based on Hellfire missiles, then the "Product 347" is a unique technology: no army in the world has such ammunition and similar capabilities at the moment, he added.
Mi-35M transport and combat helicopters during the Center-2026 command and staff exercises
The second and even more ambitious signal was the appearance of unmanned tanks. The silhouette of the machine resembles the Armata platform, but the dimensions of the new robotic complex are noticeably more compact. The key importance of this development lies in the practical implementation of the "slave" concept for the ground forces.
In the West, they are actively working on the interaction of manned aircraft with unmanned aerial vehicles, but they are not creating such autonomous heavy vehicles to work with conventional tanks on the ground. This is an absolute global priority, changing the very tactics of land combat, the expert concluded.
The coherence with which units from different countries destroy imaginary opponents clearly confirms the main thesis: attempts to isolate Russia have failed, and the strategic partnership of the countries of the multipolar world is based on impressive and, most importantly, practical defense potential.
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