Tri-Service

Putin Places Russian Navy on Alert in Snap Military Drills

Russian President Vladimir Putin has initiated snap military exercise drills in western Russia.

The Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet, alongside paratrooper units, have been called upon with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu warning the country is facing new threats to its security.

The Defence Minister explained that Russia has modernised its armed forces, boosting its military strength and capabilities, in response.

Some 38,000 troops, 41 warships, 15 submarines and 110 aircraft are involved in the exercises, Shoigu said on Monday, according to a Russian Defense Ministry statement.

“New challenges and threats to military security demand a further increase in the military capabilities of the armed forces, special attention must be paid to strategic formations in the North”.

Russia is “deeply concerned about the increase in exercises of NATO countries close to our borders,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksey Meshkov said on Monday, according to Tass news service. "It’s “particularly surprising that this takes place in the northeastern region of Europe, which is the most stable in security terms, not only on our continent but possibly in the world,” he said.

All this comes amid rising tensions between Russia and the West in escalations not seen since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine. Last week, six NATO ships were seen sailing as part of a multinational naval exercise in the Black Sea, just across the water from the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Russias Northern Fleet is responsible for the defense of Northwestern Russia and operates 39 warships and 45 submarines. A significant part of the fleet are its submarines, consisting mainly of Akua, Delta and Sierra and classes, all of which are nuclear-powered and armed with ballistic missiles.

The Northern Fleet's flagship is the nuclear powered Kirov-class Pyotr Veliky battlecruiser, pictured below.

In the fleet alongside the Pyotr Veliky is the Russian Navy's flagship, Kuznetsov-class CV Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov, also pictured below.

The fleet also has aviation units in its service, including the 279th Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment which has the Russian fighter Su-27K, the image below shows one deployed on the deck of the Admiral Kutsenov (above).

Below is a video showcasing some the Northern Fleet in action alongside the Baltic and Black Sea fleets in a large Russian Naval exercise involving maneuvers, boarding, firefighting, helicopter landings plus 29 live-fire drills of missiles, artillery and anti-submarine weapons.