Bombers and
fighter jets from Russia 's Baltic Sea fleet have carried out night drills
simulating attacks on enemy targets, the Russian news site Sputnik reported
Friday. The drills, which took place off the coast of Russia's military exclave
Kaliningrad Thursday evening and Friday morning, have become common in recent
months as Moscow modernizes its aging navy and extends its military reach
across the world.
"Within the
unannounced combat readiness inspection of the air defense and naval
aviation formations of the Baltic Fleet in the Kaliningrad Region,
crews of Su-27 fighters and Su-24M bombers performed night training flights,"
the Russian Defense Ministry stated, according to Sputnik. "[The
aircraft] practiced take-off and landing, elimination of low-flying
aerial vehicles, command centers and the military hardware of the
simulated enemy as well as performing complex combat maneuvering
at low and medium altitudes."
The drills come
amid renewed Cold-War era angst between Russia
and NATO over Moscow 's annexation of Crimea in
March 2014 and its continued involvement in the eastern Ukraine
conflict, which has resulted in a large military buildup by both sides
in the Baltic region. NATO is planning to deploy battalions
of up to 1,000 soldiers each in Poland ,
Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania , according to a report
from the Baltic Times, an English-language news source in the region.
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