Over 20 combat ships and vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet departed from their naval bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk for drills in the Black Sea waters, the Fleet’s press office reported on Wednesday.
"The drills of combined-arms task forces, naval strike and amphibious assault groups in the Black Sea involve frigates, guard ships, missile corvettes and missile boats, amphibious assault ships, small anti-submarine warfare ships and also minesweepers," the press office said in a statement.
During their transit to the designated areas, the warships’ crews will hold a series of communications and safe maneuvering drills in the sea lanes with intensive shipping and also an exercise to provide air defense at sea, the press office specified.
In compliance with the 2022 plan of the Russian Armed Forces’ training, a series of naval drills will be held in January-February this year in all the areas of responsibility of the Navy’s fleets under the general command of Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov.
The naval maneuvers will focus on measures by the Navy and the Aerospace Force to protect Russia’s national interests in the World Ocean and counter military threats to Russia from the direction of seas and oceans.
The drills will cover the seas adjacent to Russian territory and also operationally important areas of the World Ocean. Separate drills will run in the Mediterranean, North and Okhotsk Seas, in the northeastern Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.
Overall, the sweeping drills will bring together over 140 warships and support vessels, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 items of military hardware and about 10,000 troops.
