Last Friday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced that the Russian Pacific Fleet will conduct combat maneuvers in near and far maritime areas in the Pacific, by order of President Vladimir Putin. The aim of these exercises is to strengthen the armed forces’ ability to repel possible aggression. During these maneuvers, the Russian Pacific fleet will train to repel massive air strikes, search for and destroy submarines, and conduct torpedo, gun, and missile firings. The announcement of these maneuvers was unexpected and comes at a time of tensions with the West and amid Russia’s rapprochement with China.
The maneuvers will take place at the Vladivostok base in Russia’s Far East, and President Putin is not scheduled to attend. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that these maneuvers are not related to NATO’s presence in the Asia-Pacific and are simply routine army training to develop and assess the combat readiness of the armed forces.
It should be noted that this announcement comes at a time of rapprochement between Russia and China, as the two countries have been working together to strengthen their cooperation in the military and economic spheres. In addition, tensions between China and the United States in the region have also increased in recent years. Therefore, although the Russian presidential spokesman has assured that these maneuvers are not related to NATO’s presence in the Asia-Pacific, some observers see this military activity as a response to the growing US military presence in the region and the recent participation of Japan and South Korea in US-led naval exercises.