The Russian Defense Ministry plans to hold more than 4,000 drills and roughly 8,500 practical combat training events throughout 2019, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on a conference last week, TASS news agency reported.

“Next year is going to be extremely busy. Over 4,000 various types of drills and nearly 8,500 practical combat training events are scheduled. The main focus will be placed on applying expertise in the use of troops in today’s armed conflicts and training commanders to effectively address non-standard tasks,” the Minister stated.

Shoigu added that the Defense Ministry would continue to practice snap combat readiness checks. “This form of monitoring makes it possible to pinpoint problems that are not very visible in everyday life,” he stressed.

On December 3, the Russian Armed Forces shifted to its winter schedule of training. The defense chief noted that a lot of preparatory work had been done in the army before the start of the new training period.

The conference call with the Defense Minister was held at the National Defense Control Center, and was attended by area and combat arms commanders, as well as representatives of the leadership of the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Primorsky and Smolensk Regions.

As for his meeting with regional representatives, Shoigu addressed possible solutions regarding the social problems of servicemen and their families, along with the development of the Young Army movement, and progress in constructing and arranging Patriot Park branches in their regions.