Moscow, Jan 2 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia will hold large-scale naval drills in the Mediterranean and Black Sea in late January, the defence ministry said Wednesday.
Warships from the Northern, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets will be involved.
“The Russian Navy’s drills of this scope will be held for the first time over the past few decades and are designed to improve control, ensure and practice multi-service force interaction of the fleets in the far-off maritime zones,” the ministry said.
The drills will be held in line with the Russian Armed Forces’ 2013 combat training plan and will aim to “practice the issues of establishing a multi-service grouping of forces (troops) outside Russia, planning its use and conducting joint actions as part of a united naval grouping based on a common plan”, it said.
The drills will simulate operations to load marine troops and paratroopers from the rough coast of the North Caucasus onto amphibious ships and will help the navy’s personnel acquire necessary marine practice skills during the performance of “combat training missions in the Black and Mediterranean Seas”.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
pm/vt
