Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Says Completes Snap Pacific Drills

Nuclear-powered submarines of the Russian Pacific Fleet enter the Pacific Ocean during an alert exercise. Russia’s Defense Ministry / TASS 

Russia said Thursday that it had finished snap navy drills in the Pacific, stressing its forces were ready to repel "aggression" during an armed conflict at sea.

Last week Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the country's Pacific Fleet, headquartered in the port of Vladivostok, had launched surprise combat drills as tensions rage with the West over Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin on Monday said a "surprise inspection" had taken place "at a very high level".

On Thursday, the Defense Ministry said the exercises had been completed and the forces were returning to their bases.

"Snap drills confirmed the high readiness of the troops (forces) of the Pacific Fleet to solve the problems of repelling the aggression of a potential enemy from the direction of ocean and sea," the ministry said in a statement.

During the exercises in the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, forces practiced searching and destroying submarines, "repelling large-scale rocket and aviation attacks" and launching rockets, torpedoes and artillery fire against seaborne and ground targets. 

Strategic missile carriers and long-range bombers flew to a "central part of the Pacific Ocean" to imitate strikes on enemy targets.

Air defense forces repelled a mock enemy air attack with the deployment of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, Pantsir-S missile and artillery systems and radar stations, Moscow said.

The exercises in the Pacific involved over 25,000 Russian military personnel and 167 warships and support vessels, including 12 submarines.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more