SEVASTOPOL, June 22. /TASS/. The Black Sea Fleet’s coastal defense missile systems practiced eliminating a notional enemy’s warships during drills in Crimea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Tuesday.

"The teams of Bal and Bastion mobile coastal defense anti-ship missile systems from the Black Sea Fleet’s missile and artillery formation held drills to eliminate a notional enemy’s surface ship in the Black Sea," the press office said in a statement.

At the first stage of the drills, the teams of the missile systems stationed in Crimea conducted a march to the positioning area, equipped and camouflaged positions. Following this, they readied the launchers, detected a surface target, identified it and locked on it, the statement says.

"In the course of the exercise, the troops practiced the algorithm of measures to deliver missile strikes against a notional enemy’s warship by electronic launches. A ship of the Black Sea Fleet simulated the notional enemy’s warship in the drills," the press office added.

Russia’s National Defense Control Center earlier reported that the Russian Navy was tracking the UK and Dutch guided missile ships that had entered the Black Sea. In particular, the UK guided missile destroyer Defender and the Dutch Navy frigate Evertsen entered the Black Sea on June 14. Earlier, the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Laboon crossed over from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

Coastal defense systems

The Bal coastal defense system with the Kh-35 anti-ship missile is designated to control territorial waters and straits, defend naval bases, other coastal facilities and infrastructure and areas vulnerable to amphibious assaults. The coastal defense missile system is capable of operating in any weather conditions, day and night, with its full autonomous guidance after launches, under enemy intensive fire and jamming.

The Bastion coastal defense system with the standardized Yakhont (Oniks) supersonic homing anti-ship cruise missile is designated to strike various types of surface ships operating as part of amphibious assault formations, convoys, surface action and carrier strike groups, and also sole ships and radar-contrast land targets under intensive fire and electronic counter-measures.