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Russia holds drills at Syria’s port of Tartus

During the drills, the crew of a Grachonok anti-sabotage boat detected an identified speed boat, which gave no response to requests and kept moving, ignoring demands to stop for inspection

SEVASTOPOL, March 17. /TASS/. Russia has held drills on combating sabotage threats at the Syrian port of Tartus, the Black Sea Fleet said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, anti-sabotage units "carried out a planned exercise to practice ways to detect and detain the simulated enemy’s subversive group."

During the drills, the crew of a Grachonok anti-sabotage boat detected an identified speed boat, which gave no response to requests and kept moving, ignoring demands to stop for inspection.

Grachonok anti-sabotage boats and Raptor patrol boats carrying combat divers were involved in an operation to detain the vessel.

According to the Black Sea Fleet, the speed boat was blocked in Tartus harbor but its crew members put up resistance and were eliminated by an anti-sabotage unit. The exercise involved six Grachonok and Raptor boats and about 50 navy servicemen.

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