A video of the mass landing of airborne units along with equipment has appeared on its official YouTube channel by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The description for the video says that units of the Russian 98th Guards Airborne Division (Ivanovo Airborne Forces) took part in the massive landing. The landing took place in the Kostroma region from Il-76MD military transport aircraft flying at a speed of 360 km / h. The Ivanovo Airborne Forces were airborne together with the standard equipment – the BMD-4M. In total, over 650 paratroopers were parachuted during the exercise, with the separation interval of servicemen from the aircraft being 0,7 seconds at an aircraft speed of over 360 km / h.
The Russian Airborne Forces or VDV (Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii) is a separate troops branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. First formed before World War II, the force undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and for many years after 1945 was the largest airborne force in the world. The Russian Airborne Forces are well known for their mobility, utilizing a large amount of specifically designed vehicles built for airborne transport, as such, they are fully mechanized and traditionally have a larger complement of heavy weaponry than most contemporary airborne forces.
The 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, stationed in Ivanovo. During the Second World War, the formation began its existence as the 98th Guards Rifle Division. The division ended the war near Prague. On 7 June 1946, the division became an airborne unit at Pokrovka, Primorsky Krai. The division was relocated from Bolgrad in Ukraine to Ivanovo after the fall of the Soviet Union during May 1993. 217th Guards was moved to Ivanovo in the spring of 1993. In doing so remnants of its constituent units, such as the 217th Guards Airborne Regiment, were reorganised as Ukrainian formations.
The BMD-4M (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta-4) is the latest generation of Russian-made airborne armoured infantry fighting vehicle that can be para-dropped to provide firepower and support for airborne troops. The BMD-4M was developed by the Russian defence Companies Volgograd Tractor Plant and the Tula KBP Instrument Design Bureau, the vehicle is manufactured by Kurganmashzavod Joint Stock Company. The vehicle was designed to transport Russian Airborne Troops (VDV); increasing its mobility, armament, and protection on the battlefield.The vehicle is fitted with the Bakhcha-U turret, which consists of: a 100 mm 2A70 low-pressure rifled gun, a 30 mm 2A72 coaxial autocannon, and a 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun.
