Fearful, the Russian army stops training
Russia held naval military exercises in the Black Sea last September, marking the first time in two years after a pause forced by the Ukrainian threat.
The UK Ministry of Defence reported that the Russian navy had scheduled military exercises from September 10 to 16. Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow had halted such exercises due to the ongoing conflict.
According to British intelligence, the purpose of these drills was to showcase Russia’s military strength, with several Russian media outlets claiming that over 400 ships, 120 aircraft, 7,000 vehicles, and 90,000 soldiers participated.
The exercises took place in the Barents, Baltic, Mediterranean, and Caspian Seas, as well as in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.
However, the UK Ministry of Defence believes that Russia inflated these numbers, noting that only about 300 warships actually took part in it.
"No OKEAN-2024 activity took place in the Black Sea, highly likely because of Ukrainian attacks in the first six months of 2024," the ministry's report stated.
(QG - Source : UK Ministry of Defence / RBC Ukraine / Picture: © Unsplash)