Joint military exercises of Iran, Russia and China will begin in the Indian Ocean on Friday, January 21. According to official Tehran, 11 units of the Iranian Navy, three units of the Russian Navy and two from the Chinese side will be involved in the maneuvers. The servicemen, among other things, will work out the release of a ship seized by pirates. The trio of countries already conducted similar exercises in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean at the end of 2019.
Meanwhile, Russia has announced a large-scale series of exercises in the areas of responsibility of all fleets of the Russian Navy. The maneuvers will take place in the waters of the seas adjacent to Russian territory, as well as in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean and in the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It is expected that more than 140 warships and support vessels, over 60 aircraft and about 10,000 military personnel will be involved in the activities.
Deterioration of relations between Russia and Western countries
In recent months, tensions between Western countries and Russia have increased significantly. Since the beginning of the summer of 2021, the Russian Federation has deployed about 100 thousand military personnel to the annexed Crimea and to the border with Ukraine, explaining that it is conducting military exercises. Western leaders fear that Moscow is preparing for war.
The January series of talks between Russia and the United States, NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe did not bring any results. The West calls on Moscow to withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border. The Kremlin denies plans for a military operation and accuses Western countries of arming Ukraine and conducting maneuvers near the borders of the Russian Federation. In addition, the Russian authorities are demanding “security guarantees,” including NATO’s refusal to expand eastward and admit Ukraine into its membership.
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