70 Russian warships participate in Ocean Shield 2019 exercise.

About 70 warships and support vessels and 58 aircraft of the Russian Navy and the Aerospace Force are taking part in the Ocean Shield-2019 drills that have kicked off in the Baltic Sea, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

The Ocean Shield naval drills started on 1st August and will run till 9 August in the Baltic Sea (Picture source: Russian MoD)

The Ocean Shield naval drills started on 1st August and will run till 9 August in the Baltic Sea under the supervision of Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, it said. "Overall, the drills involve 49 warships and combat boats, 20 support vessels, 58 aircraft of the Navy and the Aerospace Forces and 10,634 personnel of the Russian Armed Forces," the ministry said. The naval grouping mostly comprises warships and vessels that took part in Russia’s Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg and Kronshtadt on July 28. The drills will train engaging inter-fleet force and the skills of commanding the fleet’s forces and will also check the Navy’s readiness to defend Russia’s national interests.

The Russian Navy held its first Ocean Shield drills in its modern history in the Mediterranean Sea last year. The drills that ran on September 1-8, 2018 involved 26 combat ships, two submarines, 34 aircraft of the Russian Navy and the Aerospace Force. As part of the naval maneuvers, the sailors practiced missile live-fire from the warships, helicopters and aircraft. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the time that the large-scale Ocean Shield drills involving naval forces and aircraft would be held on a regular basis.

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