Russia begins drills with 60 warships in the Baltic Sea amid tensions over the Ukraine war

Russia has announced that it has started naval exercises with about 60 warships in the Baltic Sea amid heightened tensions surrounding the Ukraine war and Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids.

These images were obtained by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), which said the footage shows the “planned operational exercise with Baltic Fleet groups.”

The footage shows Russian warships conducting maneuvers at sea, with Russia’s Defense Ministry saying the drills involved “about 60 surface warships, boats and support vessels, over 40 aircraft and helicopters, and up to 2,000 units of weapons, military and special equipment.” Baltic Fleet.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday, June 9: “A planned operational exercise involving Baltic Fleet groups has begun in the Baltic Sea and at combat training areas in the Kaliningrad region.

“As part of the exercise, Baltic Fleet tactical naval groups left their bases and deployed naval groups to designated areas.”

The Russian Defense Ministry added that the ships “will carry out training tasks to protect and defend sea lanes and naval bases.”

It went on to say: “The exercise involves about 60 surface warships, boats and auxiliary ships, over 40 aircraft and helicopters and up to 2,000 units of weapons, military and special equipment from the Baltic Fleet.”

The Baltic Sea is in Northern Europe. Technically an eastern arm of the Atlantic Ocean, it is ringed by NATO member states Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

It is also included by Finland, Sweden and Russia. Finland and Sweden recently submitted applications to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO, in February. The move by Finland and Sweden has angered Russia.

Russia resigned from the Council of Baltic Sea States last month, accusing the organization of becoming “an instrument of anti-Russian politics” and “increasingly mired in Russophobia and lies”.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a May 17 statement that it was leaving the council, which is headquartered in Stockholm, capital of Sweden, and is made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Poland , Sweden and the European Union, amid heightened tensions over their invasion of Ukraine.

The statement was released at the same time as Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany plans to strengthen its military ties with Sweden and Finland. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also announced rapprochement with Sweden and Finland, among other things, signing a security pact with both countries last month and announcing that the UK would “provide support” if the two nations were attacked.

We have reached out to Russian and Ukrainian officials for comment, but have not received a response as of the writing of this article.

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin still calls a “military special operation.” June 9 marks the 106th day of the campaign.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported that between February 24 and June 9 Russia lost 31,700 soldiers, 1,398 tanks, 3,438 armored fighting vehicles, 711 artillery units, 213 multiple missile systems, 96 anti-aircraft systems, 212 aircraft, 178 helicopters, 2,421 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 ships and boats, 562 drones, 53 special equipment units, and 125 cruise missiles.

According to Russian media, over 1,000 Ukrainian troops captured in Mariupol have been transferred to Russia.

Satellite images have shown extensive damage in the key eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, where heavy fighting is ongoing.

The Ukrainian military said Ukrainian positions around Avdiivka, Novopavlivska and Zaporizhzhia came under “intense fire”.

It added that siege operations were underway around Sloviansk and that Russia had also intensified its aircraft deployment around Bakhmut.

The United Kingdom and the United States are sending long-range missile systems to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of further attacks in Ukraine if the West sends long-range weapons.

Russian missiles hit Kyiv on Sunday, June 4, in the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian attacks on the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk have turned them into “dead cities”. But he added that Ukrainian forces could still hold Severodonetsk despite being outnumbered.

This week, Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, walked out of a Security Council meeting after his country was accused by European Council President Charles Michel of triggering a global food crisis.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution recommending that the European Union grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership. Around 438 MEPs voted in favor of the resolution, 65 voted against and 94 abstained.