Alwaght- Russia will hold drills in the Mediterranean Sea on September 1-8 with the involvement of 25 warships and 30 aircraft, the Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.
"In accordance with the training plan of the Russian Armed Forces, large-scale drills of the grouping of forces (troops) of the Russian Navy and the Aerospace Force will be conducted on September 1-8, 2018 in the Mediterranean Sea under the direction of Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Korolyov," the ministry said.
The Mediterranean drills will involve warships of the Northern, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets and the Caspian Flotilla and the aircraft of long-range, military transport and naval aviation, the ministry said.
During the drills in the Mediterranean Sea, there are plans "to deploy a grouping of over 25 warships and support vessels led by the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov," the ministry said.
Meanwhile, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told reporters on Thursday that upcoming drills in the Mediterranean Sea have nothing to do with the situation in Syria’s Idlib province
"I don’t think that drills can be related to the Idlib situation. I have heard about plans to hold such drills. Anyway, Idlib is not located on the Mediterranean Sea," he said.
Idlib is the only Syrian province still controlled by illegal armed groups. In 2017, a de-escalation zone was established in the region, where militants reluctant to lay down their arms can move together with their families.
According to United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, Idlib currently hosts about 10,000 militants from the al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaeda terror groups.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope that western countries would refrain from stymieing a counter-terrorism operation against al-Nusra Front in Idlib.
