The Russian Pacific Fleet will carry out missile launches to destroy naval strike groups and ground targets of a potential enemy during a surprise inspection, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Friday.
"During the event, the Pacific Fleet will have to repel massive missile and air strikes, conduct exercises to search for and destroy submarines, carry out torpedo, artillery and missile launches in the course of defeating naval strike groups and ground facilities of a potential enemy," Shoigu said at a meeting with the ministry's senior officials.
The defense minister has also revealed that the main purpose of the inspection is to enhance the ability of the country's armed forces to "repel the aggression of a probable enemy" from maritime directions.
"The main objective of this inspection is to increase the ability of the armed forces to repel the aggression of a probable enemy from ocean and sea directions," Shoigu said at a meeting with the ministry's senior officials.
In accordance with the General Staff's orders, the fleet will have to refine the operational plan taking into account the training situation, prepare the troops for combat actions in a short time, carry out operational deployment and work out a set of training and combat tasks both in the near and far maritime zones.
Besides, Shoigu instructed on Friday Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin to bring to the attention of foreign military attaches information about the tasks of a sudden inspection of the Pacific Fleet.
"Fomin [is instructed to] to organize the communication to the [foreign] military attaches of information on the tasks of a sudden inspection of the Pacific Fleet," Shoigu said at a meeting with the ministry's senior officials.
Apart from that, the defense minister instructed during a surprise inspection of the Pacific Fleet on Friday to work out options for using groupings, taking into account equipping the enemy with modern weapons.
"As part of the inspection, the senior control groups should ensure the development of options for the use of interspecific groupings, taking into account the development and equipping with modern means of defeating of the enemy, the use of new forms and methods of troop action," Shoigu said at a meeting with the ministry's senior officials.