SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Russian navy starts Baltic Sea drills amid Ukraine tensions
Moscow, June 9 (AFP) Jun 09, 2022
Dozens of Russian ships on Thursday took part in military exercises in the strategic Baltic Sea, after Sweden and Finland recently announced bids to join NATO.

Russia's defence ministry said in a statement that ships of its Baltic fleet, will "perform training tasks for the defence of sea lanes and fleet bases".

It said that 60 ships and 40 aircraft were taking part in the manoeuvres which will also take place on land at training grounds in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

The navy drills come amid heightened tensions between Moscow and NATO after Sweden and Finland submitted their bids to join the US-led alliance after the start of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

If their membership -- currently blocked by Turkey -- is approved, Russia would become the only non-NATO country on the Baltic Sea.

In a sign of support for Finland and Sweden's NATO membership, US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley was in Stockholm on Saturday aboard the USS Kearsage, making it the largest US warship ever to dock in Stockholm.

His visit came as NATO conducts annual naval exercises in the Baltic Sea called "Baltops 22" that are set to continue until June 17.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Why is there no life on Mars? Rover finds a clue
Third-ever confirmed interstellar object blazing through Solar System
Michelin-star chef prepares ISS meals for French astronaut

24/7 Energy News Coverage
UK lab promises air-con revolution without polluting gases
BRICS nations to denounce Trump tariffs
EU unveils long-delayed 2040 climate target -- with wiggle room

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
China says no ambition to build South Pacific military base
US, Japan, India, Australia pledge mineral cooperation on China jitters
US busts network that helped North Koreans obtain remote IT work

24/7 News Coverage
Deep-sea mining negotiators to meet under Trump shadow
'Happy suffering': the Brazilian gold rush that spawned iconic pictures
Wildfires spread across Europe



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.