ISLAMABAD: The joint Pakistani-Russian military exercise, codenamed Druzhba (Friendship) V, kicked off on Sunday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the opening ceremony of the drill was held in Tarbela Sunday. Pakistan-Russian Federation Special Forces are participating in the two-week-long counterterrorism exercise, it said.
The military’s media wing said national anthems of both countries were played at the start of the ceremony.
The ceremony was attended by Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Danila Ganich. Senior officials from both the armies were also present on the occasion. The Russian special forces had arrived in Pakistan on Thursday (Nov 5) for a two-week long military training aimed at sharing the experiences of both the armies in the counter-terrorism domain. Explaining the purpose behind the foreign team’s visit, the ISPR said sky diving and hostage rescue operations would be the highlights of Druzhba V.
The first-ever joint exercise between Islamabad and Moscow took place in 2016, while in September, a contingent of the Pakistan armed forces participated in the opening ceremony of a multinational military exercise, named Kavkaz-2020, held in Russia’s Astrakhan.–ISPR
