Russians construct heavy bridge in Syria...forget Zapad 17, they're getting real world combat experience!

via TASS

Russian road service military experts have erected a bridge across the Euphrates River, a few kilometers away from Deir ez-Zor in northeastern Syria. It will be used to deploy military equipment and troops to the eastern river bank.

The MARM small motorway panel bridge was erected in less than two days under continuous shelling, Head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Road Service Vladimir Burovtsev told reporters.
"Unmanned aerial vehicles were used. Explosive substances and grenades were falling on us from the air during the installation work. However, we have no losses. No injured or affected. Everything was erected in the set terms," he specified.

Story here. 

Forget Zapad 17.  That was a controversial exercise only because the media and the Western military decided to make it so.

That exercise was a sideshow.  At best it could be called the Russian "Reforger" but a prelude to an invasion?  Someone was smoking crack.

This however, should concern you.

Russian Combat Engineers are getting real world combat experience in a demanding environment against terrorist forces that are equipped with nation state weaponry.

They're getting the job done too.

Want to know how difficult bridging operations can be?  Do a quick study of the Marine Corps assault into Iraq in Gulf War 2.  As far as land forces are concerned an opposed river crossing ranks near the top of complex military operations.

Zapad 17 was a joke.  This is serious and they're getting hard, they're getting fast and they're getting even more capable.