Fifteen nations in all have been invited to see the drills.
Massive naval and aviation exercises have been initiated by the Russian military, which include combined maneuvers with China in both hemispheres.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated in a statement on Tuesday that over 400 warships, submarines, and support vessels, over 120 aircraft and helicopters, and over 90,000 soldiers are participating in the “Ocean-24” drill, which encompasses the Pacific, Arctic, Mediterranean, Caspian, and Baltic Seas.
The ministries stated that the maneuvers will go on until September 16.
China’s warships and aircraft are participating in the biggest war games in three decades, according to remarks made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to military leaders.
China said on Monday that the fleets of the two nations will travel together in the Pacific, but it provided no other information.
Putin stated, without naming them, that a total of fifteen countries have been invited to watch the drills.
Joint workouts
“We focus especially on enhancing military cooperation with those that are friendly. This is particularly crucial now, given the escalating geopolitical tensions throughout the globe, stated Putin.
The Russian president charged that the US was “trying to maintain its global military and political dominance at all costs,” aiming “to break the established security architecture and balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region” and “to inflict a strategic defeat” on Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
“Under the pretext of countering the allegedly existing Russian threat and containing the People’s Republic of China, the United States and its satellites are increasing their military presence near Russia’s western borders, in the Arctic and in the Asia-Pacific region,” Putin said, stressing that “Russia must be prepared for any development of the situation”.
Russia, China, and other US adversaries like Iran have coordinated their foreign policies in an effort to undermine and possibly topple the liberal democratic system led by the West.
In the meantime, Moscow has supported China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and elsewhere, and through joint drills, Russia has asked China for assistance in realizing its long-held goal of becoming a Pacific power.
“Repelling large-scale aggression of a potential enemy from ocean directions, combating unmanned boats, unmanned aerial vehicles, defending naval bases, conducting amphibious operations and escorting transports” is the training goal, according to Russia’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.
