MOSCOW. Sept 7 (Interfax-AVN) - Special ops forces have practiced deployment and anti-sabotage measures in an exercise involving the Russian Navy and Aerospace Forces in the Mediterranean, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
"One of the exercise's stages involved special ops forces interacting with the marines, the group of ships, and marine aviation of the Russian Navy that practiced preparations for landing, anti-piracy measures, and the release of hostages," the ministry said.
"Special ops units defended combat forces and coastal facilities from reconnaissance-and-sabotage groups and guarded the entry to the harbor from mines stealthily placed by divers," the ministry said.
Besides, special ops servicemen "fulfilled training assignments involving hovercraft crews during the day and at night and in good and bad weather," the ministry said.
The Russian Navy and Aerospace Forces are holding modern Russia's first drill in the Mediterranean on September 1-8. The exercise involves 26 warships and support vessels of the Navy, including two submarines, and Tupolev Tu-160 and Tu-142, Ilyushin Il-38, and Sukhoi Su-33 and Su-30SM planes. The Northern Fleet's missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov is the naval group's flagship.
The servicemen are practicing anti-submarine and air defense, protection of sea routes, anti-piracy measures, and rescue of a ship in distress. There will be live missile and artillery fire drills, too.