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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Russia's Baltic Fleet has conducted exercises in the body of water dubbed a "NATO Lake" amid heightened tensions with the alliance, which is conducting its own drills in the region.
Regional tensions caused by Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have been followed by the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden, meaning that the Baltic Sea is now surrounded by alliance members.
Russia's Baltic Fleet is headquartered in the exclave of Kaliningrad, whose location between NATO members Poland and Lithuania would make it a front line in any conflict between Moscow and the alliance. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry and NATO for comment.
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The Russian fleet's missile boat Dimitrovgrad carried out simulated electronic launches against a detachment of enemy ships. "All designated targets were successfully hit," the fleet press service said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
The fleet also practiced repelling drones and electronic jamming in exercises. There have been numerous incidents of GPS jamming in the region, and these have been blamed on Moscow as a hybrid war technique that has affected aircraft traffic control.
The drills were the second by the Russian Navy this month. On June 1, the submarine Mozhaisk practiced torpedo firing at a simulated enemy submarine. At the end of March, two Russian submarines from the Baltic Fleet rehearsed an underwater battle, state news agency Tass reported.
The latest drills coincide with the military exercises named Baltops, which are being carried out by around 9,000 troops from 20 NATO countries in the Baltic Sea region. Sweden took part in the drills for the first time, after joining the alliance in March.
The exercises, which last until Thursday, include sea mine sweeps, submarine detection, landings, and how to respond to mass casualties. They come ahead of the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., starting July 9, which marks the 75th anniversary of the alliance.
Denmark has said it might restrict the movement of tankers that are part of Russia's so-called "Shadow Fleet." They transport oil to get around Western sanctions imposed because of the war.
As well as circumventing the measures intended to choke off the financing of Russia's war effort, the shadow fleet's older vessels pose an environmental risk to the waters, prompting concerns among European countries.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told Reuters last week that Moscow's shadow fleet is "an international problem and that international solutions are required."
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