MOSCOW. June 16 (Interfax-AVN) - A mine warfare group of the Baltic Sea Fleet composed of the minesweeping vessels Leonid Sobolev, RT-231, and RT-271 have diffused the mines installed by a hypothetical enemy in a joint training of the Baltic Fleet, Air Landing Troops, and the Russian Air Force conducted in the Baltic Sea in the Kaliningrad region, the press service for the Western Military District for the Baltic Fleet told Interfax-AVN.
"In accordance with the fleet combat training plan in the sea ranges located in the Baltic Sea, the minesweepers of the naval unit involved in the protection of the water area of the Baltic naval base conducted drills to practice countermine warfare support of the deployment of the Baltic Fleet forces from the stationing site and during sea movement in a situation of the use of mine weapons by a hypothetical enemy," Captain II Rank Vladimir Matveyev, the head of the information support department of the press service for the Western Military District for the Baltic Fleet, said.
During the voyage, the crews of the vessels successfully performed drills aimed at installing contact and non-contact sweeps, convoying a submarine and a naval unit behind minesweeping vessels, and forcing mine obstacles.
Anchor and bottom exercise mines were successfully found and destroyed during the training. The maneuvers ended in a set of gun fire at sea and air targets.