22.05.2008
Source:
A Russian battleship will participate in a multilateral exercise in the Sea of Japan including naval forces from France, the U.K. and the U.S. in August, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Tuesday.
Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said the Admiral Panteleyev, an Udaloy-class (Project 1155 Fregat) anti-submarine destroyer of Russia's Pacific Fleet, will take part in FRUKUS 2008, an annual exercise that is "a key event in international naval cooperation."
"The exercise will focus on Peace Support Operations at sea," he said.
Previously called RUKUS, the exercise was formed in 1988 as a vehicle for dialogue between the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.
France formally joined the group in 2003, changing the exercise's name to FRUKUS.
The exercise typically involves around 1,000 total personnel from the four countries and features multi-warfare scenarios, multinational staff integration, and a crisis management tactical event.
The FRUKUS 2007 exercise was conducted in the North Atlantic with the Admiral Chabanenko, a guided-missile destroyer of Russia's Northern Fleet, participating.
