Russia’s Pacific Fleet has conducted training missile strikes against a group of simulated enemy ships near the coast of the southern Kuril Islands.
The exercises were conducted on Thursday, the Pacific Fleet’s press service said, involving a group of surface ships, a nuclear-powered submarine and a coastal missile unit.
The target group was located more than 300 kilometres from the firing positions, according to the statement.
The guided-missile cruiser Varyag carried out a practice launch of two Vulkan anti-ship missiles, while the nuclear-powered submarine Omsk conducted a salvo launch of Granit cruise missiles.
A Bastion coastal missile system also launched an Oniks anti-ship missile from one of the Kuril Islands.
According to objective monitoring, all targets were successfully hit, the fleet said.
Pacific Fleet naval aviation provided target-designation data to the command post of the task force during the exercise.
The fleet said the firing area had been closed in advance to civilian shipping and aircraft.
The drills were part of scheduled combat-training activities, according to the Pacific Fleet.
The exercises come amid a new diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Tokyo over the Kuril Islands.
Japan protested Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit on August 13 to Iturup, one of the four southern Kuril Islands claimed by both countries.
Tokyo refers to the islands as its Northern Territories, while Russia administers them as part of the Sakhalin Region.
