A total of 88 heavy ground combat vehicles, including 96A tanks, from the Chinese side, rolled into the Chebarkul combined training range. [Photo/Xinhua]

CHELYABINSK - Heavy ground combat vehicles from the Chinese army's battle group have joined the China-Russia joint drill taking place in Chelyabinsk in Russia's Ural Mountainous region from July 27 to August 15.

A total of 88 heavy ground combat vehicles, including 96A tanks, from the Chinese side, rolled into the Chebarkul combined training range as the joint drill, code-named Peace Mission-2013, entered the phase of battle planning on Saturday.

These heavy ground combat vehicles were smoothly transported there from some 5,080 kilometers away through the trans-Siberia railway artery.

Russia's high-ranking officers participating in the drill spoke highly of the Chinese troops's smooth deployment in the first phase of the drill, saying that strategic mobility and strategic transport were very complicated and difficult and the Chinese troops had done a good job.

Peace Mission-2013 is divided into three phases - troop deployment, battle planning and simulated combat.