Russia conducts air defense, anti-ship drills as U.S. warships enter Black Sea

Russia has conducted a series of air defense and anti-ship military drills in the Black Sea amid protests toward the passage of two U.S. warships through a body of water at the center of tensions between the two nations.

The Russian Armed Forces’ Southern Military District announced Tuesday that crews operating Bal and Bastion coastal anti-ship systems conducted simulated launches as part of “an exercise to destroy a mock enemy surface ship in the Black Sea.”

The maneuvers were conducted from camouflaged positions on Crimea, a region annexed by Russia after an internationally disputed referendum held amid a political uprising in Ukraine in 2014. The peninsula has also long hosted the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which also held a training session on Tuesday.

The fleet’s air defenses were activated and “put on alert” to protect Russian warships from a “massive” missile strike and air raid of a simulated enemy, including mock foe drones.