MOSCOW. Dec 1 (Interfax) - Russia's Baltic Fleet will be involved in a strategic exercise and is expected to receive a number of small missile ships in the new training year, the Baltic Fleet's press service said on Thursday.
"In the new training year, the fleet's service members will have to take part in camps and field missions, tactical and command-post exercises of various level, including inter-branch, opposed-force, operational, and strategic ones, involving all-arms forces," it said.
"In addition, the fleet is expected to receive new military hardware and weapons, including Project 21631 and Project 22800 small missile ships," it said.
In the new training year, the Baltic Fleet will focus its efforts on "ensuring Russia's naval interests, training military command bodies of all levels, units, and military garrisons involved in practical actions during exercises, training tactical-level officers, and arranging state trials of ships being built and repaired for the Russian Navy," it said.
"As Baltic Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Viktor Liina has said, in the new training year, the fleet is facing new major tasks related to increasing the intensity of combat training of tactical groups and newly-formed units," it said.
According to official data, Project 21631 small multirole river-sea class missile ships are armed, in particular, with Kalibr cruise missiles (developed by Novator and Almaz-Antey) and Oniks cruise missiles (NPO Mashinostroyenia and Tactical Missiles Corporation). Project 22800 Karakurt multirole small missile ships are designed to operate in coastal maritime zones and are equipped with eight-cell launch systems for Kalibr and Oniks missiles.
The Russian Armed Forces have started their new training year on December 1.