Active phase of Baltic Fleet's march starts in Kaliningrad

  • 2000-08-10
KALININGRAD (BNS) - The active phase of the Russian Baltic Fleet's march started in Russia's Kaliningrad region on Aug. 7.

During the second stage of the training session held Aug. 7-8, opposing forces and troops conducted tactical operations. The northern team defended the base and the southern team attacked.

Naval ships were brought to the training grounds on Aug. 7 to assist in the war games. Two destroyers and three guard vessels were included into the assault group and practised joint activities with a submarine.

The Baltic Fleet's naval aircraft joined the war games on Aug. 7.

Disembarkation of amphibious assault landing forces was scheduled for Aug. 8. According to an earlier report, over 50 ships, a submarine and 36 supply ships will participate in the war games.

Aviators, including helicopter and airplane pilots, participating in the training session made more than 80 flights.

Airborne and amphibious assault landing forces should include about 400 troops and over 70 units of equipment. About 200 exercises, more than 20 combat exercises and nine competition battle drills for a prize from the Central Committee of the Russian Federation's Naval Fleet was conducted during the war games.

The commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Yegorov, told reporters that the scope of the military tasks and exercises has not decreased when compared with those held during the Soviet era. Holding of two intensive sessions of the fleet's war games twice a year - in April and in August - is decided by new methods worked out in line with the saving of fuel and petrol, oil and lubricants of ships and airplanes, he told reporters.

"Such an approach will allow protection of the state's interests in the region until 2015 with the arsenal available to the fleet today," said Yegorov.