Russia puts Pacific Fleet on high alert in surprise inspection

FILE PHOTO: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attends a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, Belarus April 10, 2023. BelTA/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Russia has put its Pacific naval fleet on high alert as part of a surprise inspection aimed at building its defensive capabilities, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday.

"The main objective of this inspection is to increase the ability of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression of a probable enemy from the direction of ocean and sea," Shoigu said on state television.