Russia says ends some of military exercises

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu announced on Monday that some of the military exercises are closing to an end.

Russia is holding large-scale military drills in the West of the country, and also almost in every Russian fleet, Shoygu said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

"Some of these exercises are closing to an end, some will be finished in the near future," Shoygu reported.

The minister noted that the armed forces work out the skill against an attack of any actions of a potential enemy.

During the military training, the armed forces detected in the Russian territorial waters a submarine, allegedly of the US fleet, near the Kuril Islands, Shoygu noted.

"As a result of special actions on this boat, three-fold actions, the boat was expelled from the waters of Russia," he said.

The US nuclear submarine of Virginia type was spotted by Russian anti-submarine forces in the territorial waters of the Russian Federation on Feb. 12 near the Urup Island of the Kuril Ridge.

The submarine did not respond to the demands to the surface and so the Russian side decided to use special means to force it out of the territorial waters.

Following the incident, the US military attache in Moscow was handed a note of protests, and it was also indicated that the Russian Defense Ministry reserves the right to take all possible measures in its territorial waters to ensure the security of the Russian Federation.