MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. A group of Russian combat ships held a joint exercise with the Pakistani naval forces in the Arabian Sea, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.
"A group of Russian naval ships comprising the corvettes Rezky and Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and the medium sea tanker Pechenga from the Pacific Fleet has conducted a PASSEX joint naval exercise codenamed Arabian Monsoon with the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," the ministry said in a statement.
After departing from the port of Karachi, the Pacific Fleet’s ships formed a naval group with the Pakistani frigate Shah Jahan and corvette Tabuk, it said.
During the naval exercise, the combat ships from both navies practiced tactical maneuvering and repulsed notional attacks by uncrewed boats. The crews of the combat ships also conducted an air defense exercise, in which Pakistani fighter jets and patrol aircraft simulated launches of anti-ship missiles, the ministry said.
The joint naval exercise ended with an operation to free a vessel notionally seized by terrorists simulated by the sea tanker Pechenga, it added.
Last time, the Russian and Pakistani navies held the PASSEX Arabian Monsoon exercise in 2021.