MOSCOW. April 14 (Interfax) - Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin reported at a briefing for foreign military attaches that a surprise check of Pacific Fleet forces has begun, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
"The deputy defense minister of Russia said the measure is being carried out in accordance with a decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Its main purpose is to check the capability of the Pacific Fleet to rebuff aggression from oceanic and sea directions," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"All information stated at the briefing was presented by the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation as part of voluntary transparency," the Russian Defense Ministry quoted Fomin as saying.
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