Surprise maneuvers of the Russian fleet in the Pacific
In a context of rapprochement with Beijing and tensions with the West, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Friday the alert and surprise maneuvers of the Russian fleet in the Pacific. On the orders of President Vladimir Putin, Mr Shoigu said that the Russian Pacific Fleet, based in Vladivostok, in the Far East, would work “in a short time” in combat training in maritime areas “near and far”.
During these exercises, the Pacific Fleet will practice “repelling massive air attacks”To “search and destroy submarines”, as well as to conduct torpedo, cannon and missile fire, Mr. Shoigu said during a meeting with senior officials. According to him, these maneuvers are aimed at “strengthen the capacities of the armed forces to repel an aggression”. Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, who heads the entire Russian fleet, will be responsible for overseeing these exercises, he said.
This announcement comes as Beijing, which regularly conducts joint military exercises with the Russian army, announced Friday the visit to Russia of the Chinese Minister of Defense, from April 16 to 19.
The spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile assured that these surprise maneuvers were not “not related” NATO’s presence in the Asia-Pacific, where all eyes are on China and its American rival. “It is a usual, routine, army training, a development of our armed forces, an inspection of their combat readiness”he affirmed, specifying that it is not ” unforeseen “ currently that Vladimir Putin is attending. And to insist:
“The practice of unannounced inspections continues, it is usual, in recent years they have taken place on a constant basis. »