MOSCOW, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Russia says its Navy warships are set to hold drills in the Indian Ocean after leaving Venezuelan waters in several weeks.
A fleet of ships, led by the missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, plan to conduct combat naval exercises in the Indian Ocean before making a number of calls to ports in the Arabian Sea, RIA Novosti reported Saturday.
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The Arabian Sea -- an intersection of major trading routes -- increasingly has been occupied by pirates attacking commercial and civilian vessels.
The planned naval drills will help deter piracy as will a Russian missile frigate that last week began patrolling the waters of the Gulf of Aden, the Russian news agency reported.