MOSCOW. June 8 (Interfax) - About 20 ships and marine planes of Russia's Black Sea Fleet have held an air defense drill in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk, fleet spokesman Alexei Rulyov said.
"Officers on duty at command centers and ship-based air defense crews tracked unidentified airborne targets and deterred air attacks of the mockup enemy at the Black Sea Fleet's bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk," Rulyov said.
The exercise involved about 20 ships of the Black Sea Fleet in addition to marine planes of the fleet and the Southern Military District, he said.
"During the practice, ship-based battle stations detected and identified targets, and air defense crews 'destroyed' mockup aircraft after the targets came within the firing range," Rulyov said.
The fleet spokesman said on June 2 that 37 ships and vessels had been deployed to the Black Sea for a series of exercises, including missile firing at marine, coastal, and airborne targets.