Russian top Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the establish modern military and social infrastructure at the Step airfield. Gen. Shoigu is pictured in the center surrounded by his top aides.
According to a report on the Russian Ministry of Defense website, General of the Army, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered “the establishment of not only military but also social infrastructure of the Step airfield” and military town located in Zabaikalsky Krai, where the separate Su-25 attack aviation regiment will be deployed.
The Sukhoi Su-25 (NATO reporting name: “Frogfoot“) is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces.
See related video: SU-25 Frogfoot-Flying Tank (Russian) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtAThLpxmxw
This was confirmed by local sources in the region, who describe “a lot of construction activities at the airbase currently.”
On April 8, 2015 the Defense Minister completed his final inspection of the *Eastern MD troops.
His working trip started at the Step airfield construction where he was personally briefed on the progress. There he met with military leaders and strategists on ways to move this project forward as a matter of urgent national security concern.
The airfield ( Степь-Оловянная) is strategically located in 250 km South-West to Chita. About 14 km NW Yasnogorsk
Grid Coordinates: 51° 1.2′ N 115° 25.7′ E (51.0200,115.4283)
Google Earth – http://maps.google.com/maps?&q=51.0200,115.4283&spn=0.1,0.1&output=kml
Google Maps (map) – http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.0200,115.4283&spn=0.1,0.1&t=m&q=51.0200,115.4283
Google Maps (sat) – http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.0200,115.4283&spn=0.1,0.1&t=h&q=51.0200,115.4283
Wikimapia – http://wikimapia.org/#lat=51.0200&lon=115.4283&z=14&l=1&m=b (Russian viewing recommended)
Geohack – http://stable.toolserver.org/geohack/geohack.php?params=51.0200_N_115.4283_E_type:city
“All work must be finished in 2016,” ordered General of the Army Sergei Shoigu after listening to report of representatives of the 3rd Air Force and Air Defense Command of the Eastern MD and Specstroi leadership.
The Head of the military department followed up by ordering to us what he called “maximum effectiveness” with respect to the former hangars and aircraft shelters where the aircraft will be housed. This will involves the freeing up of additional resources and personnel to complete the task.
When the construction is finished, the facility will accommodate about 1000 servicemen and various support personnel. All of whom are to be vetted in terms of security clearances.
During his working trip Minister of Defense will hear reports of the Eastern MD Command concerning the realization of the “Activities plan until 2020” as well as will check the organization of military training at the military units of the District.
A list of military units assigned to the Eastern District include:
5th Army in Primorie, Ussuriysk
- 57th Motorized Brigade in Bikin
- 59th Motorized Brigade in Sergeevka
- 60th Motorized Brigade in Sibirtsevo/Lipovtsy
- 70th Motorized Brigade in Ussuriysk
- 8th Air Defense Brigade in Razdolnoe
- 80th C3 Brigade in Ussuriysk
- 58th Engineer Regiment in Razdolnoe
- 101st Logistics Brigade
29th Army in Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai
- 36th Motor Rifle Brigade in Borzya
- 39th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade in Khomutovo (former 33rd Motor Rifle Division)
- 11th Airborne Brigade in Sosnovy Bor (Ulan-Ude)
- 83rd Airborne Brigade in Ussuriysk (Far East)
- 14th SPETSNAZ Brigade in Ussuriysk (Far East)
- 18th Air Defense Brigade in Kyakhta
- 140th Air Defense Brigade in Domna/Telemba (Chita)
- 75th C3 Brigade in Chita
- 165th Artillery Brigade in Nikolskoe[disambiguation needed] (Belogorsk)
- 200th Artillery Brigade in Gornyy/Drovyanaya
- 305th Artillery Brigade in Severnyy (Ussuryysk)
- 338th MLRS Brigade in Novosysoevka
- 20th Missile Brigade in Spassk-Dalny
- 103rd Missile Brigade in Drovyanaya
- 107th Missile Brigade in Birobidzhan, Semistochnyy
- 16th NBC Defense Brigade in Galkino (Khabarovsk)
- 101st C3 Brigade in Chita[disambiguation needed]
- 104th C3 Brigade in Knyaze-Volkonskoe
- 76th Signal Brigade in Komsomolsk
- 92nd Signal ELINT Brigade (OSNAZ) in Arseniev (Primorsky Krai)
- 50th Communications Brigade
- 106th Communications Brigade in Dalnerechensk
- 154th Communications Brigade
- 7th ECM Regiment OSN in Artem
- 17th ECM Brigade in Matveevka
- 53rd Logistics Regiment in Chita[disambiguation needed]
- 18th Machinegun Artillery Division
- Goryachie Klyuchi in (Sakhalin)
- 46th Machinegun Artillery Regiment in Lagunnoe
- 49th Machinegun Artillery Regiment
35th Army in Belogorsk
- 38th Motorized Brigade in Belogorsk-Ekaterinoslavka
- 64th Motorized Brigade in Khabarovsk
- 69th Motorized Sustainment Brigade in Babstovo (JAD)
- 71st Air Defense Brigade in Srednebelaya (Amur)
- 54th C3 Brigade in Belogorsk
- 37th Engineer Regiment in Berezovka
- 103rd Logistics Brigade
- Logistics Brigade in Arkhara (Amur)
36th Army in Ulan Ude
- 5th Tank Brigade in Ulan Ude
- 37th Motorized Brigade in Kyakhta
- 75th C3 Brigade in Borzya
- 27th Engineer Regiment in Yasnaya
Air and Air Defense Forces
- 3rd Air and Air Defence Forces Command
- Aviation of the Pacific Fleet
Russian Navy Forces
- Pacific Fleet
- Including the 115th Marine Brigade, and the 40th and 3rd Marine Regiments of the Naval Infantry (Russia)
End report
Note: The Eastern Military District (Russian: Восточный военный округ) is one of the four operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was formed in Presidential Decree №1144 signed on September 20, 2010. It absorbed the territories of the former Far East Military District and part of the former Siberian Military District with headquarters at Khabarovsk.
The federal subjects that are part of the district include Buryatia, the Sakha Republic, the Zabaykalsky Krai, the Kamchatka Krai, the Primorsky Krai, the Khabarovsk Krai, the Amur Oblast, the Magadan Oblast, the Sakhalin Oblast, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug