Russia DM in Syria to oversee naval exercises in Mediterranean

The Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu has arrived in Syria to oversee naval drills involving 15 warships and 30 aircraft in the eastern Mediterranean, the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement yesterday.

“Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu at the CSS centre of the Russian Navy in Tartous heard the report of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Admiral Evmenov on the implementation of joint combat training exercises by Russian ships and aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces to defeat ship groups of a mock enemy, as well as firing at sea and air targets using artillery and anti-submarine weapons,” the statement said.

More than 15 warships of the Pacific, Northern and Black Sea Fleets, as well as over 30 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, are involved in the exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, searching for foreign submarines, establishing control over navigation in the Mediterranean Sea and the flight of aircraft over it.

The statement explained that more than 140 warships and support vessels, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 units of military equipment and about 10,000 military personnel are involved in the ongoing naval exercises.

Shoigu was received by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

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