Russian flag flies with the Spasskaya Tower of Moscow’s Kremlin in the background in Moscow, Russia February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
MOSCOW — Vessels of Russia’s Northern Fleet have completed anti-submarine drills in the Norwegian Sea, the Russian defense ministry said on Monday, part of a broader naval exercise amid a stand-off with the United States and Nato.
Russian military moves are being closely watched by the West at a time when a troop build-up near its border with Ukraine has sparked fears of a conflict. Moscow has denied it plans to launch an attack on Ukraine.
The ministry said in a statement a Russian missile cruiser and a frigate aided by a specially equipped helicopter practiced various ways of locating submarines during the drills.
Russia is carrying out drills involving more than 140 vessels from all of its fleets in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the North, Okhotsk and Mediterranean seas.