The Russian Navy is joining hands with the Italian, French and certain other NATO navies to drill safe navigation in August and September. Every visit of Russian warships to foreign ports, and foreign to Russian, with token exceptions, finishes with a joint shipwreck rescue exercise.
Russia's Baltic Fleet submarine and rescue ships will pay an official visit to Stockholm, Sweden, from August 18 to 23, flying the fleet commander's flag.
The Baltic Fleet's landing ship Minsk is paying an unofficial visit to Plymouth, UK, from August 26 to 31, with a marine platoon on board, for two celebrations-Royal Navy Day and continuing 60th anniversary commemoration of Operation Overlord, the Allied landing of 1944 in Normandy. The celebrations over, the Minsk will take part in a one-day humanitarian relief drill, September 1.
A Baltic Fleet escort sheep and a landing ship pay an unofficial visit to Cartagena, Spain, September 1-5. They will also make routine visits to Cannes, France, and Lisbon, Portugal.
Black Sea Fleet warships are paying official visits to Italy's Taranto and Augusta, on September 10-13 and 16-20. The visit schedule envisages Italian-Russian naval exercises. The Moskva missile-bearing cruiser of the Guards, one of the ships for the Italian visit, will also make a routine visit to Valletta, Malta.
The Northern Fleet's nuclear submarine and submarine chaser will pay an unofficial visit to Brest, France, under Rear Admiral Alexander Litenkov's command from September 21 to 26.
A Pacific Fleet warship force is paying a routine visit to Kure, Japan, from August 30 to September 3.
Russia is active in current multinational exercises on the maritime accident prevention agreement, added our informant.
