Russian navy conducts massive drills with 300 ships, 20,000 sailors

Three fleets of the Russian navy—the Northern, Pacific, and Baltic, along with the Caspian Flotilla—have started maneuvers involving around 300 ships and 20,000 sailors, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing Interfax and TASS agencies, which referenced a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The statement noted that "the objective of these planned exercises is to test the operations of the command authorities in the operational zones of the Northern, Pacific, and Baltic Fleets, as well as in the area of responsibility of the Caspian Flotilla."

It was reported that "the exercises involve approximately 300 ships, both surface and underwater vessels, support units, up to 50 aircraft, more than 200 specialized units, and over 20,000 sailors and civilian personnel."

Reuters recalls that since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has conducted a series of maneuvers, independently or with the forces of other countries, including China and South Africa. In the past two months, a series of exercises utilizing mobile nuclear missile launchers and joint exercises with the Belarusian military were conducted.

In the past few days, three joint exercises were conducted involving China and Russia's air forces and navies. In addition to the units from the Russian navy, the Chinese missile destroyer Jiao Zuo participated in the maneuvers.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian and Chinese sailors jointly conducted shelling of a mined area. Then, Russian and Chinese sailors carried out joint search and rescue operations in the Baltic Sea.

The exercises took place near Finnish territorial waters, putting the NATO fleet on high alert.