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During the large-scale strategic exercise OKEAN-24 conducted by the Russian Navy, Russia likely exaggerated the number of ships involved, with the exercise primarily serving as a demonstration of the fleet’s capabilities amid the ongoing war.
This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defense on platform X, citing intelligence data, as reported by Ukrinform.
It is noted that this event followed a two-year pause in Russia’s large-scale military exercises. Prior to 2022, Russia used to hold annual exercises involving all its armed forces, but the last two have been canceled almost certainly due to the war in Ukraine, according to the statement.
“OKEAN-24 was likely an effort to demonstrate reach and capability in spite of the war,” the intelligence sources believe.
They added that Russian media claimed the exercise would involve over 400 ships, 120 aircraft, 7,000 vehicles, and 90,000 personnel conducting operations in the Barents, Baltic, Mediterranean, and Caspian Seas, as well as in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.
“The exercises did operate in these areas, but Russia has almost certainly grossly exaggerated these figures as there are currently only around 300 vessels available to take part. No OKEAN-24 activity took place in the Black Sea, highly likely because of Ukrainian attacks in the first six months of 2024,” the British intelligence reported.
As reported earlier, from September 10 to 16, 2024, the Russian Navy conducted the large-scale strategic exercise OKEAN-24. Chinese Navy ships participated, with Moscow claiming that Russian naval forces were engaged from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
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