KALININGRAD, April 17. /TASS/. About 10 naval ships and over 1,500 personnel from the Baltiysk naval base are involved in the Baltic Fleet’s drills that kicked off in Russia’s westernmost exclave of the Kaliningrad Region, the Fleet’s press office reported on Monday.

"At the first stage of the exercise being held in accordance with the scheduled inspection of the Fleet’s formation after the winter training period, military command centers of the Baltiysk naval base, some naval forces and also separate units of the Fleet participating in the drills were put on heightened alert," the press office said in a statement.

In the Baltic Sea, the crews of missile corvettes and boats, small anti-submarine warfare ships, coastal and harbor minesweepers will practice a broad range of assigned missions, namely, mine countermeasures support for the deployment of forces and submerged anti-saboteur defense of ships and boats during their anchorage in a roadstead. The naval groups will also practice joint operations of their deployment in a combat formation and measures to repel a notional enemy’s air attack with fire against aerial targets and will conduct a training naval battle, it specified.

In addition, the Baltic Fleet’s naval groups will carry out missile and artillery firings to strike the mock enemy’s ships and aircraft, the press office reported.

During the naval maneuvers, the Baltic Fleet’s naval forces will practice protecting ships and submarines and naval bases from the potential enemy’s subversive/reconnaissance groups while the teams of Bal and Bastion coastal defense missile systems will destroy naval targets on the coast of the Kaliningrad Region, it said.

"In all, the drills have brought together about 10 surface ships, boats and support vessels, over 1,500 personnel, more than 50 items of military and special hardware, and also aircraft and helicopters of the Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation," the press office said.