MOSCOW, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Southern Military District has conducted more than 3,000 exercises so far this year, twice as many as last year, its commander Alexander Dvornikov said Wednesday.

The intensity of the use of aviation for the fire support of land and sea groups in drills has seen a threefold increase, Dvornikov told newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda in an interview.

About 6,000 aircraft and helicopters were involved in the drills, Dvornikov said.

He also noted that the share of modern weapons in the Southern Military District is up to 65 percent.

The Southern Military District is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, headquartered in Rostov-on-Don.