Video: Russia launch Black Sea drills in response for NATO’s Sea Shield-2019 exercise

Russia has launched one of their biggest military drills in the Black Sea using Naval ships and jets in retaliation for the NATO’s Sea Shield – 2019 exercise which being held at the same time in the same area.
Russia’s airborne early warning and control A-50 aircraft, S-400 missile systems, as well as the Bal and Bastion coastal defense missile systems are taking part in the Black Sea drills held amid NATO’s Sea Shield 2019 drills, the Russian Defense Ministry’s statement published on its official website on Friday reads.
According to the ministry’s data, the Black Sea drills feature more than 50 planes and helicopters, as well as the S-400 Triumf missile system the Bal and Bastion coastal defense missile systems battalions.

At the same time, Russia’s strategic bombers Tupolev-160 held a training exercise over the Black Sea along with Su-27SM jets that took off from Crimea.
The pilots of Sukhoi-27SM planes were given the coordinates of Tupolev-160 bombers and hypothetical air targets approaching the bombers. Each pair of fighters escorted the bombers and intercepted the hypothetical enemy.

The NATO Sea Shield 2019 drills are being held in the Black sea region on April 9-13 and feature naval ships and jets from the US, Bulgaria, Greece, Canada, the Netherlands, Romania and Turkey jointly with the Georgian and Ukrainian military representatives.