Avacha bay to be partially closed for Pacific naval exercises

The access to Avacha Bay as well as a huge part of the Avacha Gulf will be closed, as Russia's Pacific Fleet will be conducting military exercises.

The press centre of the Russian Forces in the North East reported, the decision had been taken at a meeting between the command of the forces and the administration of the Kamchatka region, trade and fishing companies and travel agencies.

Restrictions for the access to Avacha Bay where major Kamchatka ports are located will be in effect during the exercises but will last no more than 4-6 hours a day and not daily. It is regulated by appropriate documents seeking to make sailing safe.

The access to Avacha Bay and a huge part of the Avacha Gulf will be completely denied from 10 p.m. on August 26 till 7 p.m. on August 27.

Vladimir Kuroyedov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, will command the operative-and-staff military exercises of the Pacific Fleet. Over 50 vessels and boats, 35 maintenance vessels, 50 aircraft and helicopters and up to 30,000 servicemen and civil specialists will take part in the exercises.

The exercises will be conducted in three stages. On August 18-19 the training of the forces involved in the exercises will take place. On August 20-22 - the armaments and military equipment will be prepared and forces deployed in the areas of operational tasks. Twenty-four district exercises will be conducted during the third stage /August 23-27/, ten - in Primoriye, seven - in the north of the Sea of Japan and in the south of the Sea of Okhotsk, and seven - in the Kamchatka region.

Observers from the U.S. Navy, Canadian, Japanese, South Korean and North Korean and Chinese Navy will participate in the exercises.