Defense minister: Russia promptly builds up troops' capabilities in Arctic, Crimea, Baltic

TASS

March 18, 17:02 UTC+3

About 76,000 troops, almost 100 battle ships, vessels and submarines, and also more than 200 aircraft and helicopters are taking part in the Russian Northern Fleet's combat readiness snap check

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. The Russian Armed Forces have promptly built up the combat capabilities of its groups in the Arctic, Crimea, and the Baltic region, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.

'The combat capabilities of combined groups of troops in the Arctic, the Baltics and in Crimea were built up in a fast-tracked mode,' he said.

On Monday, there began a sudden check of the combat readiness of the Northern Fleet, some units of the Western Military district and the Airborne Troops. On Tuesday, a strategic command staff exercise to practice methods of armed forces control began. Units in various parts of the country, from Sakhalin to southern Russia were alerted.

According to the minister, Russia's sudden all-embracing military inspection of forces' combat readiness enables the newly established unified strategic command to practise control of troops' and forces' for the first time.

Over 75,000 troops involved in Northern Fleet's combat readiness check

Shoigu said about 76,000 troops, almost 100 battle ships, vessels and submarines, and also more than 200 aircraft and helicopters are taking part in the Russian Northern Fleet's combat readiness snap check.

Shoigu spoke at the National Defense Control Center that was exercising operational control over large-scale military drills that started on Monday across Russia.

The defense minister said a total of 65 warships, 16 support vessels and 15 submarines were involved in the Northern Fleet's combat readiness check along with over 10,000 pieces of the armor and special equipment.

© TASS