Russia to commence major military drills with China and others – Nexus News
Russia disclosed it will commence sweeping military drills alongside forces from China to show off increasingly close defense ties between Moscow and Beijing amid war in Ukraine.
The Vostok 2022 (East 2022) drills will be held from September 1-7 in different locations in Russia’s Far East and the Sea of Japan and involve more than 50,000 troops and 5,000 weapons units, including 140 aircraft and 60 warships, according to the Russian defense ministry.
It released a video of Chinese troops arriving in Russia in preparation for the massive military exercise.
The drills will be carried out at seven firing ranges in far eastern Russia and will involve troops from several ex-Soviet nations, China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Syria.
The ministry stated that units of Russian airborne troops, long-range bombers, and military cargo planes will take part in the drills along with other forces.
While first declaring the exercise last month, the Russian military stressed that it is part of planned combat training that is continuing amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. It has not revealed the number of troops engaged in what the Kremlin calls the “special military operation” there.
The ministry stated that as part of the manoeuvres, the Russian and Chinese navies in the Sea of Japan will “practice joint action to protect sea communications, areas of marine economic activity and support for ground troops in littoral [coastal] areas”.
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“The exercise isn’t directed against any specific countries or military alliances and is purely defensive,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Fomin said at a meeting with foreign military attaches. He specified the naval drills would take part in the northern and central part of the Sea of Japan.
The drills reveal rising defense ties between Moscow and Beijing, which have waxed stronger since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine on February 24. China has categorically refused to berate Russia’s action, saying the United States is the “main instigator” of the war by backing NATO expansion and putting sanctions on Moscow.
In reaction, Russia has strongly supported China despite the tensions with the US after its House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent trip to Taiwan.
Speaking earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew parallels between US support for Ukraine and Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, stating that both were part of alleged American efforts to disrupt global stability.
Russia and China have carried out a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Last year, Russian troops for the first time moved to Chinese territory for joint manoeuvres.
Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have developed strong personal boundaries to bolster a “strategic partnership” between the former communist rivals as both Moscow and Beijing face increasing tensions with the West.
Even though Moscow and Beijing in the past declined the possibility of establishing a military alliance, Putin has disclosed that such a prospect cannot be ruled out. He also said that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability.
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