Russian Navy Set for Major Drills Involving 300 Vessels, 20,000 Sailors

According to Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, these exercises have a two-pronged purpose. "The first is practicing the coordination of the geographically dispersed regional fleets which by necessity fall within different military districts," Kaushal told Newsweek. "Since Russia has by virtue of its geography had to maintain effectively disjointed regional fleets this is an important fleet function." "The second purpose may have more to do with symbolism and projecting the image of a power with global reach," he added.