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Belarus wins Polar Star contest at International Army Games 2019

Photo courtesy of the Defense Ministry

BREST, 14 August (BelTA) – Belarusian army specialists were victorious during the Polar Star contest held as part of the International Army Games 2019, BelTA learned from the contest’s Chief Referee, Colonel Aleksei Popov.

The Polar Star contest was designed specifically for special operations forces and took place in the army exercise area Brestsky. Teams of army scouts from Belarus and Russia took part in it. The Belarusian team was victorious after six stages of the contest.

Aleksei Popov noted: “The gap between the teams was four points. One can conclude that their professional and combat training levels are very high. The competition took place in conditions of hot weather, in a swampy forested terrain with sand banks. It was an exhausting experience for the teams. But both groups demonstrated excellent physique.” According to the source, testing individual skills of the specialists of the special operations forces and their cohesion while in a group was the main goal of the Polar Star contest. “The mission was accomplished in full. The training program of Belarusian and Russian special operations forces lives up to modern requirements,” the chief referee stressed.

The Polar Star contest has been added to the International Army Games this year. In the course of the contest the teams had to go on a 30km forced march, use a compass bearing to retrieve a cache, and cross a patch of land full of mines and explosive devices. The teams also had to demonstrate their shooting skills at night and in daytime and the ability to go through an obstacle course. The groups were airlifted back to base by a helicopter at the end.

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