Russia's Baltic Fleet to launch large-scale exercises in winter

The Russian Baltic Fleet is preparing numerous large-scale military exercises, its press service said on Saturday, according to the Interfax news agency.
"During the winter training period, the Baltic Fleet's training grounds are scheduled to hold several dozen large-scale manoeuvres at various levels - involving armoured and motorised rifle units, air defence, radio, artillery and reconnaissance squads, as well as the fleet's air force," the press service said.
The Baltic Fleet is based in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The training year begins in the armed forces on December 1.
The Baltic Fleet has included a larger army unit since 2016 with the formation of the 11th Army Corps. It had only recently become known that this corps had been strengthened with an additional motorised rifle division.
The Russian military justified the upgrade with NATO's high level of activity on Russia's western borders.
Kaliningrad is surrounded by EU countries Poland and Lithuania and is located more than 1,000 kilometres from Moscow as the crow flies, but only about 500 kilometres from Berlin.