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Russia launched large-scale strategic commanding staff exercise “Ocean-2024” on September 10.  

That day, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the exercise through videoconferencing and made an opening speech. 

The Russian armed forces are staging the large-scale commanding staff exercise like “Ocean-2024” for the first time in 30 years, he said, noting that in this exercise soldiers would train attacking methods with high-precision weapons and the combat readiness of the navy and aerospace force would be tested.

He said that the US tries to destroy the security structure and balance of power formed in the Asia-Pacific region by gaining military upper hand with its aggressive moves and actually incites an arms race in disregard of the security of its European and Asian allies.

Referring to the fact that the US plans to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and to this end activates military moves near the borders with Russia, he said that the US and its satellite countries have expanded military presence near the western borders of Russia and in the Arctic and Asia-Pacific region on the pretext of countering the “threat from Russia” and containing China.

He criticized the US, saying it has already started actions to deploy its missile systems in the Asia-Pacific region and is openly trumpeting it.

Saying that the Russian armed forces should get ready to defend the sovereignty of the country and national interests reliably and repulse military invasion to be mounted from any direction including the ocean and sea, Putin stressed the need to strengthen its strategic nuclear structural elements and the navy. 

Involved in the strategic commanding staff exercise “Ocean-2024” were more than 400 warships of different kinds and over 90 000 troops.

The exercise will be conducted simultaneously in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic oceans and the Mediterranean, Caspian and Baltic seas.