MOSCOW. Aug 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian military police are forming naval units, said Lieut. Gen. Vladimir Ivanovsky, the head of the Main Directorate of Military Police under the Russian Defense Ministry.
"An analysis of the use of military police forces revealed the need to form military police divisions in various armed services of the Russian Federation, including in the navy. They took part in the main naval parade in the city of St. Petersburg for the first time in 2018," Ivanovsky told reporters on Wednesday.
Naval police will be equipped with BL-680 boats, anti-shock shields and helmets, shoulder wraps and knee pads, and nonlethal weapons (the PB-4C Osa pistol, stun guns), along with standard-issue firearms, the general said.
The first naval police unit will be formed at the Baltic Naval base this year, a spokesperson for the Western Military District said.
The Main Directorate of Military Police was set up in 2011 to maintain order and discipline in the armed forces and protect military sites.