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Baltic Fleet, troops in Russia’s northwest wrap up large-scale drills

The large-scale force-on-force exercise involved about 6,000 personnel and 1,500 items of armament and military hardware, including combat ships, planes and helicopters

ST. PETERSBURG, August 31. /TASS/. Command and staff drills of the Baltic Fleet and a combined arms army involving 6,000 personnel came to an end in the Kaliningrad and Leningrad Regions, the press office of the Western Military District reported on Monday.

"Practical measures by the headquarters and troops took place at five training grounds in the Leningrad and Kaliningrad Regions and at naval ranges in the Baltic Sea and islands of the Gulf of Finland," Western Military District Commander Colonel-General Alexander Zhuravlyov who was in charge of the drills was quoted by the press office as saying.

The large-scale force-on-force exercise involved about 6,000 personnel and 1,500 items of armament and military hardware, including combat ships, planes and helicopters, the statement says.

During the drills, the headquarters gained the experience of planning defensive operations, implementing a set of measures to stabilize the situation, maintain inter-operability and comprehensive support for ongoing missions. The troops practiced seeking out, blocking and eliminating illegal armed formations, protecting and defending sea lanes, landing an amphibious assault force onto an unequipped shore and carrying out anti-assault and counter-offensive operations, the press office specified.

All-embracing anti-epidemic measures were taken at all the stages of the drills. The troops are currently returning to their permanent bases, the press office said.

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