#6 - RW 265
Russian navy captain disputes paper's claim that nuclear subs stopped for 1 year

MOSCOW, July 16 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian nuclear submarines have never stopped patrolling the world ocean, an aide to the Navy commander-in-chief, Captain 1st rank Igor Dygalo said, following a Washington Post publication. The newspaper quoted the U.S. Navy intelligence service as saying that Russian nuclear submarines will resume their duty in 2003 after a one-year break but the number of their trips in the open seas remains insignificantly small. "In reality, the Navy has stepped up its activities this year because we have received sufficient funding for combat training," Dygalo explained on Wednesday. He recalled the joint tactical exercise of the Baltic and Northern fleets in the Baltic Sea at the end of June, and a joint Russian-Indian naval exercise, and spoke of the upcoming large-scale manoeuvres in the far East on August 27, which will involve Pacific Fleet ships. For the first time, invitations to the exercise have been sent to the U.S., Canadian, Chinese and other navies in the region to attend not as observers but as participants, the officer said.

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