MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. A naval group of Russia’s Baltic Fleet practiced employing air defense weapons and electronic warfare systems during drills in the Mediterranean Sea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.
The drills involved the guard ship Yaroslav Mudry, the tanker Yelnya and the sea tug Viktor Konetsky, the press office said.
"In the process of accomplishing combat training assignments, the crew of the guard ship held training to employ air defense and electronic warfare systems to repel a notional enemy’s air attack weapons," the press office said in a statement.
Also, the Baltic Fleet’s ships practiced joint maneuvering amid intensive shipping and searched for a notional enemy’s submarines, after which the crew of the guard ship held electronic missile launches against naval targets. The crew delivered the fire employing the Uran anti-ship missile system as the ship’s main striking armament, the statement says.
The warships embarked on their long-distance deployment from the Baltic Fleet’s main naval base of Baltiysk in the westernmost Kaliningrad Region on October 1. Over the period of their deployment, they have covered a distance of over 8,000 nautical miles, including their call at the Syrian port of Tartus.
The warships are carrying anti-terror squads from the Baltic Fleet’s marine infantry force. Also, the Yaroslav Mudry is carrying a deck-based Ka-27 helicopter.
The Baltic Fleet’s naval task force is heading for the Indian Ocean where it will take part for the first time in the naval component of the Indra-2019 Russian-Indian drills that will run on December 10-19. The warships are on their long-distance deployment in compliance with the plan of the Russian Defense Ministry’s international activity this year.
The Indra-2019 drills will run at land and naval training ranges and at a military aerodrome of the Indian Armed Forces. About 300 troops from Russia’s Eastern Military District will take part in the drills.