Russia’s Pacific Fleet launches surprise combat drills, Moscow calls it ‘routine’

Moscow: As tensions rage with the West over Ukraine, the Russian Pacific Fleet had launched surprise combat drills, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday.Calling the exercise a "routine", the Shoigu said that the aim was "to evaluate the state and increase the readiness of military command, troops, and forces to undertake missions in all strategic directions.The drills come amid heightened tension in the Asia-Pacific region, as the United States and South Korea conduct joint air exercises following an intercontinental ballistic missile test by North Korea.At a meeting with Russia's top brass, Shoigu said the Pacific Fleet, headquartered in the port of Vladivostok, was on high alert during snap exercises begun on President Vladimir Putin's orders.The drills will also simulate an enemy landing on Russia's Sakhalin island and on its southern Kuril Islands, some of which are claimed by Japan in a territorial dispute dating back to the end of World War Two.Shoigu said that the main goal of this exercise is to build up the armed forces ability to solve the tasks of repelling the aggression of a potential enemy from the direction of ocean and sea.The defence minister said the forces would prevent the enemy from deploying in "the operationally important region of the Pacific Ocean -- the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk" and repulse an enemy landing in the southern Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island.Also Watch: Russia Ukraine War: Dangerous Combat Operations Near Nuke Plant | Vantage with Palki SharmaThe southern Kuril Islands, which Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, are at the heart of a long-running dispute between Russia and Japan that has prevented a formal World War II peace treaty from being signed.The head of the Russian navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, is overseeing the drills, Shoigu saidThe Russian forces will practice searching and destroying submarines during the exercise, "repelling large-scale rocket and aviation attacks" and launching rockets, torpedoes, and artillery fire against seaborne and ground targets.With inputs from agencies.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.