Russian Navy's Pacific Drills Receive Praise and Criticism

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the military's performance during massive naval drills that involved the entire Russian Pacific Fleet, which included 167 warships, 12 submarines, 89 aircraft, and 25,000 troops. The drills were intended to "test the Pacific Fleet's readiness to repel aggression" and involved the use of nuclear-capable long-range strategic bombers. The Defense Ministry declared that sectors in the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, the Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan, and the Avacha Bay on the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula would be closed to sea and air traffic for the duration of the exercises.