Three fleets of the Russian Navy – the Northern, Pacific and Baltic, as well as the Caspian Flotilla, have begun maneuvers involving about 300 ships and 20,000 sailors, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday, as quoted by the Interfax and TASS news agencies.
The exercises will involve the Northern Fleet in the Russian part of the Arctic, the Pacific Fleet in the Pacific Ocean, the Baltic Fleet in the Baltic Sea and the Caspian Flotilla in the Caspian Sea.
As the communique states, “the purpose of the planned exercises is to test the functioning of command bodies in the operational zones of the Northern, Pacific and Baltic fleets and in the zone of responsibility of the Caspian Flotilla.”
It was reported that “about 300 ships and surface and submarine units, support units, up to 50 aircraft, over 200 special units and over 20,000 sailors and civilian personnel are taking part in the exercises.”
According to the Russian ministry, over the course of several days, crews of ships, naval aviation and coastal forces will conduct more than 300 combat exercises with the practical use of weapons.
Russian military exercises
Reuters recalls that since the invasion began Ukraine in February 2022 Russia carried out a series of maneuvers, alone or with the forces of other countries, including Chin and South Africa.
Over the past two months, a series of exercises have been carried out using mobile nuclear missile launchers, and joint exercises between Russian and US forces have also been held. Belarus.
Main image source: mil.ru