On July 4, regular naval exercises started in the Black Sea fleet Of Russia. In the course of these maneuvers, the Black Sea Fleet formations were supposed to carry out a number of different combat training tasks related to patrolling, anti-submarine work and interaction with the marine aviation. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Alexander Vitko, was appointed the head of the exercises.
The press service of the Ministry of Defense clarified that the current exercises are planned. All training activities are conducted in full compliance with international standards. About 20 warships and auxiliary vessels, as well as more than 20 units of aircraft, are involved in the maneuvers. Also in the training activities take part of the coastal missile and artillery troops, marines and units of the Black Sea Fleet. The training ground is almost the entire area of the Black Sea.
According to the press service of the military, on July 4, as part of the exercise, the first shooting was conducted. So, ships and missile boats of the Black Sea Fleet conducted five launches of anti-ship missiles "Malachite" and "Mosquito". According to official information, all these missiles successfully hit the specified training targets. In addition, on the first day of the exercises, pilots of the Black Sea Fleet began to perform combat training tasks. July 4 Su-24 bombers struck missile and bomb strikes against training targets at sea.
Despite the firing, the main task of the first day of the exercise was the deployment of the compounds employed in them. By the morning of July 5, all ships and land units arrived in the indicated areas, after which the first phase of the maneuvers was launched. On the same day, the Ministry of Defense spoke about the objectives of the current exercises. According to official information, during these events, ships and coastal troops of the Black Sea Fleet must work out the tasks of protecting home areas and sea communications.
July 5 ships and aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet continued to destroy training targets. Ships and boats received orders to launch cruise missiles, and the task of the fleet aviation was to destroy the conditional enemy with missiles and bombs. In addition, the scenario of the exercises included episodes during which ships would have to search and deactivate sea mines, as well as fight against submarines of a conditional enemy.
7 July, the Ministry of Defense reported a new phase of exercises, in which rocket firing took place. A shipboard strike group headed by the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral A. Vitko, entered the given area of the Black Sea, south-west of Cape Tarkhankut. The structure of this compound included the Samum missile hovercraft, the Shtil small rocket ship, as well as two missile boats, the P-109 and the P-239. The training target for the ship strike group became several targets that imitated the formation of a conventional enemy ships. Su-24 bombers helped ships to eliminate conditional enemy forces.
Together, the naval strike group and naval aircraft successfully hit all training targets. The detachment of the ships of the conditional enemy was destroyed.
On July 8, the first reports of the actions of the coastal forces of the Black Sea Fleet were received. On Tuesday, the marines, with the support of fleet aviation, began to work out tasks for the antiamphibious defense of the coast. As a platform for this episode of the exercise, several polygons were chosen on the territory of Crimea. As part of the maneuvers, the marines operate as part of company tactical groups. The intelligence units of the Marine Corps 8 July moved to the antiamphibious defense areas to conduct reconnaissance.
On the same day, the military department announced the start of engineering training for anti-amphibious defense positions.
On Tuesday, missile-artillery troops of the Black Sea Fleet arrived in the specified position areas. According to the plan of the exercise, the task of the missilemen and artillerymen was to be to strike at the naval targets of the conditional enemy. Rocket and artillery troops were to take an active part in the antiamphibious defense of the coast against the attack of a conditional enemy.
An interesting feature of the current teachings of the Black Sea Fleet is the fact that they coincided in time with similar activities, also held in the Black Sea. From 4 to 13 in July, NATO countries in the Black Sea are conducting Sea Breeze 2014 exercises. To perform combat missions, nine ships from several countries entered the sea. In the maneuvers "Sea Breeze-2014" participate ships of the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Turkey and other countries. According to some reports, the ship group that entered the Black Sea is the largest in the last few decades.
Such a coincidence of the timing of the exercises is of particular interest for a number of reasons. Firstly, naval exercises of different countries are rarely held simultaneously and in the same region. Secondly, the Black Sea washes the shores of the Crimea peninsula, which is still the subject of controversy in the international arena. Nevertheless, representatives of the Russian and NATO navies claim that all current maneuvers are carried out in accordance with a pre-approved plan, and their goal is to fulfill combat training tasks, but not pressure on third countries.
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