Moscow, Aug 1 (IANS): The Russian Navy has completed extensive military exercises involving the Baltic, Northern, and Pacific Fleets, as well as the Caspian Flotilla, the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday.

"Units and formations of the Russian Navy, which participated in scheduled exercises within the operational zones of the Northern, Pacific, and Baltic Fleets, as well as the area of responsibility of the Caspian Flotilla, have begun to withdraw forces. Crews of the ships, which carried out training and combat tasks as assigned, will soon return to their permanent bases," the statement said.

Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Alexander Moiseyev said that the exercises achieved their goal of assessing the actions of naval command authorities at all levels and verifying the readiness of ship crews, naval aviation units, and coastal troops to perform their designated tasks, Xinhua news agency reported.

Moiseyev added that the Navy's General Staff will conduct a detailed analysis of the actions of surface forces, naval aviation, and coastal units as part of the comprehensive combat training activities.

Approximately 300 surface ships, boats, submarines, and support vessels, around 50 aircraft, more than 200 pieces of military and special equipment, and over 20,000 military personnel and civilian staff from various units and formations participated in the exercises.

Over several days, ship crews, naval aviation units, and coastal troops executed more than 300 combat exercises with practical weapon use, including anti-aircraft missile firing and artillery shooting at sea and air training targets.

During the exercises, fleet and Caspian Flotilla command authorities also practised coordination with other security agencies and federal executive bodies in organizing the defence of bases, preventing illegal activities at sea, and conducting water rescue operations.