Russian Defence Minister: Training voyage of Caspian Flotilla helps protect Russia's interests from real threats

The Caspian Flotilla's training voyage helps uphold Russia's interests from real threats. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said this to journalists, following his arrival in Astrakhan (the Volga Region) on Thursday, where he will be inspecting how the main stage of the present-day exercises is being carried out.

According to the minister, "the necessary infrastructure for all army and frontier units of the Caspian region has been created during the preparations for the training voyage." On Friday within the framework of the exercises he will head for Dagestan where he will visit Kaspiisk and Makhachkala.

As RIA Novosti learned in the press service of the North-Caucasian Regional Department of the Federal Frontier Service, border seamen will be improving joint activities of search-and-rescue groups of the Caspian marine brigade and the Astrakhan frontier unit during the final stage of the voyage.

The units have been set the task of harmoniously searching, discovering and eliminating terrorist bases and weapons caches, and destroying the channels of their delivery, especially in hard-to-reach island areas in the Caspian Sea.

Caspian frontier guards are taking part in the exercises, performing their duties at the same time. They protect biological resources, discover and eliminate illegal drug and weapon trade through the federal border in the Caspian region.

The press service stressed that this year 215 tons of fish of valuable species and 350 kg of black caviar have been confiscated from poachers.