MOSCOW, June 13. /TASS/. The crews of Bastion and Bal coastal defense missile systems stationed in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad Region destroyed a simulated enemy’s naval group in the Baltic Sea where NATO’s Baltops-2019 exercises are underway, the Baltic Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.

"As part of combat training measures, the personnel of a large missile unit practiced taking their vehicles from a motor pool and performing a motorized march to the areas of firing positions where Bal and Bastion missile systems were promptly deployed to fight a notional enemy’s surface ships and defend the sea coastline of the Kaliningrad Region," the press office reported.

The notional enemy’s role was played by the Baltic Fleet’s warships whose crews were set the task of disrupting sea lanes and delivering a strike against the Fleet’s naval taskforce.

After getting the target acquisition, the missile systems delivered a notional strike against the enemy naval group. During the drills, the crews also checked the operability of the missile systems and practiced loading and unloading the systems’ armament, the Fleet’s press office reported.

Russia’s Baltic Fleet is holding its drills amid NATO’s Batltops-2019 exercises that kicked off on June 9. The Baltops-2019 drills involve 18 countries, 44 warships, 40 aircraft and helicopters and about 12,000 personnel.