MOSCOW. Feb 16 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday visited Syria to inspect an exercise of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Shoigu visited the naval facility of the Russian Navy in the Syrian port of Tartus and listened to a report from Russian Navy Commander Nikolai Yevmenov on the maneuvers, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
As was reported officially, Russia sent MiG-31K fighter jets with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bombers to take part in the exercise.
"On February 15, Russian Defense Minister Gen. of the Army Sergei Shoigu inspected an exercise of the Russian Navy in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea held as part of a series of naval exercises in the operationally important areas of the global ocean and in various seas adjacent to Russia" the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"While visiting the Russian Navy's logistic service point in Tartus, Gen. of the Army Sergei Shoigu heard a report from Russian Navy Commander Nikolai Yevmenov on joint combat training exercises involving Russian ships and Russian Aerospace Forces airplanes dedicated to defeating a simulated enemy's naval groups, and firing artillery and anti-submarine systems at sea-based and airborne targets," it said.
Syrian Defense Minister Gen. Ali Ayyoub watched the course of the exercise of the Russian Navy in Tartus together with Shoigu.
Shoigu also inspected the Tartus-based ship repair facility of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, where he set the task of further improving the infrastructure of the Russian ships' Syrian base, the Defense Ministry said.
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