Russian maneuvers in the Baltic Sea, in full tension with NATO

Published on 9/06/2022 at 12:11Reading Time: 2 Minutes

PSeveral dozen Russian ships took part in military exercises in the Baltic Sea on Thursday, against the backdrop of rising tensions around the strategic expansion where NATO is also currently conducting maneuvers.

“As part of this exercise, strategic naval groups of the Baltic Fleet abandoned their bases and deployed in specific areas,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

According to him, about 60 ships and 40 aircraft and helicopters are participating in these maneuvers, which are also taking place on the ground at training centers in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

On Tuesday, about twenty Russian ships took part in an exercise in the region.

The Russian exercises come as NATO is conducting a major annual naval exercise in the Baltic Sea since Sunday, called “Baltop 22”, which is scheduled to last until June 17.

This intense military activity is part of a context of strong tensions between Moscow and the West since the launch of a Russian military offensive in Ukraine in late February.

The Baltic Sea, a strategic region, became the center of much attention last month with Sweden and Finland formalizing candidates for NATO, an organization that Moscow considers hostile to its interests.

Such membership, blocked for the time being by Turkey, would make the Baltic Sea a “NATO lake”, with countries other than Russia already part of the bloc.