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The Russian Pacific Fleet was placed on high alert for snap drills on Friday that will include missile launches, marking a significant show of force amid heightened tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that the objective of the war games was to assess the preparedness of Russia’s armed forces to respond to aggression.
Aside from missile launches, the exercises will feature nuclear-capable strategic bombers and various warplanes, along with the naval aviation of the Pacific Fleet.
Although the bulk of Russian forces have been deployed on the front lines in Ukraine, regular drills across the country are still taking place to train the troops and demonstrate their readiness.
The Russian Defense Ministry released videos showcasing warships and submarines setting sail to participate in the maneuvers. Marine units were also deployed to amphibious landing vessels, and coastal defense missile systems were moved to firing positions as part of the exercises.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the drills as routine training designed to “maintain the necessary level of the armed forces’ readiness.” Shoigu explained that the maneuvers’ scenario envisages a response to an adversary’s attempt to land on Sakhalin Island and the southern Kuril Islands.
Japan claims territorial rights over the Kuril Islands, which it refers to as the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union took them in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has prevented the two nations from formally ending hostilities by signing a peace treaty.
Last year, Russia announced that it had suspended peace talks with Japan to protest Tokyo’s sanctions against Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. Russia has increased its military presence on the islands in recent years, deploying advanced fighter jets, anti-ship missiles, and air defense systems there.
The Pacific Fleet drills began just days before Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu’s scheduled visit to Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Shoigu and Li would discuss “the prospects of bilateral defense cooperation and acute issues of global and regional security.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Moscow last month showcased the partnership between the two nations in the face of Western efforts to isolate Russia over Ukraine and provided a political boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Both Moscow and Beijing have accused the United States of trying to isolate and impede their development as they challenge the U.S. for regional and global leadership.
Although Putin and Xi pledged to increase contacts between their militaries and conduct more joint sea and air patrols and drills, there was no indication that China would provide Russia with weapons, as the U.S. and other Western allies had feared.
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