Russian Navy will conduct training shooting near Syrian coast

30.01.2013 Warships of Black Sea, Baltic and Northern Fleets started conducting training mission during large inter-fleet exercises of Russian Navy. As reported by press relations and information service of Russian Ministery of Defence, artillery shooting practice will take place near Syrian coast, where the civil war still lasts.

As mentioned, the training shooting area will be preliminary announced as dangeruous water area for civil ships. More than 60 battle exercises, aerial, waterborne and submarine targets shooting will be implemented. Countersabotage training with special weapon employment is also planned.

Meanwhile Russian Ministry of External Affairs responded to The United States Department of State announcement about obvious evidence of the Kremlin frustration in Bashar Asad's political regime. 'We have never been 'fascinated' by or supportive of the Syrian regime. All we want is for there to be stability in Syria', minister for foreign affairs Sergey Lavrov claimed. 'People of Syria will decide the destiny of the country', he emphasised.

Recall that armed conflict between Syrian government and opposition lasts since March 2011. Beginning with peaceful protests, demonstrations against Assad's regime have grown up to civil war. Syrian opposition demands ouster of the president charging him of massive atrocities against peaceful population. Official Damascus says that "gangs of armed terrorists" supported by foreign radical Islamist movements are prowling across the country under the flag of democracy. According to human rights defenders, almost 20,000 Syrians have become victims of the armed standoff. Russia and China three times vetoed UN Security Council's resolutions which implied Assad's dismissal.