MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. Russia’s Northern Fleet practiced repelling air attacks in the Barents Sea as part of the Zapad 2025 joint strategic exercise, the Defense Ministry reported.

"As part of the Zapad 2025 joint strategic exercise, Northern Fleet ship groups repelled an air raid by a mock enemy in the Barents Sea," the ministry said.

According to the report, air defense drills in the northern part of the Barents Sea were carried out by the Northern Fleet’s Arctic expeditionary group, led by the large anti-submarine ship Severomorsk. The crews performed air defense maneuvers, practiced deploying decoys, and engaged simulated enemy aircraft. The Severomorsk’s missile and artillery combat unit fired at mock air targets using the Kinjal anti-aircraft missile system along with AK-100 and AK-630 artillery systems.

Closer to shore, an air raid by simulated enemy aircraft was repelled by a strike group consisting of the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov and the frigate Admiral Golovko. Pilots from the Northern Fleet’s mixed aviation corps carried out simulated attacks from different altitudes and directions, testing the ships’ defenses.

During the drills, ship crews coordinated radio-technical and missile-artillery units to detect, classify, track, and neutralize targets. The crew of the Marshal Ustinov used the Fort anti-aircraft missile system in electronic launch mode and engaged simulated targets with AK-630 and AK-130 artillery. The Admiral Golovko also targeted mock enemy aircraft with the A-192M artillery system, the Palash anti-aircraft system, and the Poliment-Redut missile system.

The Zapad 2025 exercises began on September 12 and are scheduled to conclude on September 16.