Inter-Fleet Exercises of Russian Navy started in the Black and the Mediterranean Seas

21.01.2013 Inter-Fleet Exercises of Russian Navy started on January 19 under the supervision of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff in the Black and the Mediterranean Seas' water areas.

Conducting exercises are the largest for last ten years for Russian Navy. The inter-fleet group comprises the warships from the North, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets: a guided missile cruiser Moskva, a large ASW ship Severomorsk, guard ships Smetlivy and Yaroslav Mudry, large landing ships Saratov, Azov, Kaliningrad, Alexandr Shabalin and service ships, long-range aviation and the fourth Air Force/Air Defense command.

"The main goal of the exercises is to practice the formation of a combined group of forces outside of the Russian Federation, plan its use and perform joint operations within a Navy group under the common plan," a source at the department told Interfax-AVN.

The drills will last until January 23. Russian sailors will implement more than 60 training missions, including missile and artillery shooting exercises.