MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. The Pacific Fleet’s surprise combat readiness inspection involves over 160 ships and vessels, including 12 submarines, Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu reported to Russian President Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin on Monday.

"A sudden inspection of the Pacific Fleet began from April 14. The inspection involves over 25,000 personnel, 167 combat ships and support vessels, including 12 submarines, 89 aircraft and helicopters," the defense chief reported.

The forces participating in the Pacific Fleet’s massive drills have gone on high alert and have begun accomplishing their assigned combat training objectives, Shoigu added.

"The troops are exercising to conduct qualification firings and tactical drills and practice multi-service force interoperability," the defense chief said.

"The anti-submarine quick reaction alert forces have carried out measures to hunt down submarines at approaches to the Peter the Great Bay and the Avacha Bay. The Pacific Fleet’s naval aircraft are deployed at operational airfields. The aircraft of the long-range aviation military command have redeployed to forward aerodromes," Shoigu said.

Pacific Fleet’s sudden inspection

All of the Pacific Fleet’s forces went on heightened alert on April 14 in a surprise combat readiness check. The naval sailors will exercise to prevent a potential enemy’s penetration into the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, repel the landing of an adversary force on the Island of Sakhalin and the southern Kuril Islands, Defense Minister Shoigu earlier reported.

The sudden combat readiness inspection commanded by Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolay Yevmenov also involves some units of the Aerospace Forces. The sweeping drills are aimed at raising the preparedness of the Russian forces for "repelling a potential enemy’s aggression from oceanic and maritime directions." The exercise will also focus on operations by strategic nuclear-powered missile-carrying submarines.