Moscow. January 24. INTERFAX - Twenty ships and vessels of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation went to sea to perform combat training tasks, the fleet said on Monday.
"20 warships, boats and support vessels of the Baltic Fleet left their permanent bases and went to the designated areas of the Baltic Sea to perform tasks within the framework of planned combat training activities," the fleet's press service said in a statement.
"At sea, the ships of the Baltic Fleet, united in several tactical groups, will perform tasks for their intended purpose - anti-submarine, anti-aircraft defense and mine support units with the implementation of practical combat exercises," the Baltic Fleet said.
According to the military, as part of the exercise, minesweepers and small anti-submarine ships, small missile ships and missile boats will operate as part of tactical groups.
The ships of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation went on exercises at sea against the background of NATO's statement about bringing its forces to a state of readiness, sending additional ships and fighters to Eastern Europe in connection with the build-up of Russian military forces near Ukraine.
Earlier on Monday, the press service of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation reported that a detachment of fleet warships consisting of corvettes with guided missile armament "Persistent" and "Smart" went to sea on a long hike. The tasks of the long-distance campaign include exercises and ensuring the naval presence of the Russian Federation in various areas of the World Ocean, the press service said about corvettes.
The Baltic Fleet is an operational and strategic association of the Russian Navy on the Baltic Sea. The main bases are Baltiysk (Kaliningrad region) and Kronstadt (Leningrad region). In 2016, the 11th Army Corps was formed as part of the Baltic Fleet in the Kaliningrad Region.
On January 20, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the beginning of a series of maneuvers of the Russian Navy with the participation of more than 140 ships and vessels, over 10 thousand military.
The exercises under the general leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Evmenov will cover the waters of the seas adjacent to the Russian territory, as well as operationally important areas of the World Ocean, the military said. Separate exercises will be held in the waters of the Mediterranean, Northern, Okhotsk Seas, in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean and in the Pacific Ocean, the Defense Ministry said.
The maneuvers of the Russian Navy began against the background of the transfer of units and subunits of the Eastern Military District of Russia to Belarus for the exercises "Allied Determination - 2022".
As Interfax reported, Russia and Belarus are checking the reaction forces of the Union State. According to the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Alexander Fomin, at the first stage - until February 9 - it is planned to redeploy and create groups of troops. At the second stage - from February 10 to 20 - the joint exercises "Allied Determination-2022" will be held.
The exercises are taking place against the backdrop of a crisis in relations between Russia and NATO.
The United States, other NATO countries and Ukraine announced the concentration of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border and the threat of a Russian invasion.
