KALININGRAD, January 21. /TASS/. Russian Navy ships and a destroyer of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force practiced joint maneuvering during joint anti-piracy drills in the Arabian Sea, the press office of Russia’s Baltic Fleet reported on Tuesday.

"A group of the Baltic Fleet combat ships comprising the guard ship Yaroslav Mudry, the tanker Yelnya and the sea tug Viktor Konetsky, and also the destroyer Harusame of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force practiced the elements of joint maneuvering, using, in particular, flashing signal communications in the nighttime, and held a flash light exchange of information between the ships at night," the press office said in a statement.

Also, a briefing for representatives of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force was held aboard the Russian guard ship Yaroslav Mudry. During the briefing, the Russian and Japanese sides specified and agreed the action plan. In addition, the Japanese sailors viewed the Russian ship’s helicopter pad and its aviation guidance and control post to further practice the episode of exchanging helicopters, the statement says.

Freeing vessel

As part of the joint naval maneuvers in the Arabian Sea, the Russian Navy guard ship and the Japanese destroyer conducted an operation to free a vessel notionally seized by pirates, the Baltic Fleet informed.

"The Baltic Fleet sea tanker Yelnya simulated the pirate ship and its crewmembers — the pirates," the press office issued a statement.

Under the drills’ scenario, the groups for freeing the vessel and rendering the notional pirates harmless surrounded the seized ship. The Japanese destroyer Harusame and the Russian guard ship Yaroslav Mudry assumed positions for providing fire support for the assault groups.

After suppressing the hostile fire, the Russian and Japanese anti-terror groups stormed the tanker and rendered the surviving pirates harmless. Later, the Baltic Fleet marine infantry and the Japanese sailors jointly inspected the vessel freed from the pirates.

The Russian and Japanese naval sailors will also hold joint firings of artillery guns and large-caliber machine-guns against a sea target set up by the crew of the sea tug Viktor Konetsky, another Russian ship participating in the drills. Naval aviation helicopters will make cross flights from the Russian and Japanese ships with the landing on the decks.

The Russian Navy ships and the destroyer of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force started their anti-piracy drills in the Arabian Sea on January 20. In one of the areas of the Arabian Sea, they will practice inspecting and freeing a vessel notionally seized by pirates and landing on the ships’ decks. The Russian Baltic Fleet and the Japanese navy are holding their drills for the first time.

The guard ship Yaroslav Mudry, the tanker Yelnya and the sea tug Viktor Konetsky embarked on their long-distance deployment from the Baltic Fleet’s main naval base of Baltiysk in the westernmost Kaliningrad Region on October 1 and set off for the Indian Ocean. In December, the warships took part in the naval phase of the Indra 2019 Russian-Indian drills and in the Maritime Security Belt Russia-China-Iran naval maneuvers.