Russia announced that it will conduct extensive military exercises with Chinese soldiers to highlight the growing defense cooperation between Moscow and Beijing amidst the conflict in Ukraine.
According to the Russian defense ministry, the Vostok 2022 (East 2022) drill will take place from September 1 to 7 in a range of locations in Russia’s far East and the Sea of Japan and involve more than 50,000 soldiers and 5,000 weaponry units, including 140 planes and 60 warships.
While preparing for the important drill, it made a video showing Chinese troops entering Russia.
Many former Soviet Union countries, including China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, and Syria will send forces to participate in the operations, which will take place at seven shooting ranges in far eastern Russia…
The drills will include participation from other forces as well as battalions of Russian airborne troops, long-range bombers, and military transport planes, according to the ministry.
The Russian military emphasized that the drill is a component of its ongoing combat training when it originally announced it last month, amid Moscow’s military activity in Ukraine. The number of troops taking part in what the Kremlin refers to as the ‘special military operation’ made open the general populace.
According to the ministry, as part of the maneuvers, the Chinese and Russian militaries 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’.
‘The exercise isn’t directed against any specific countries or military alliances and is purely defensive,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister At a meeting with foreign military attachés, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Fomin said. He emphasized that the northern and central regions of the Sea of Japan will be Focal point of the naval exercises.
Since Russia moved soldiers into Ukraine on February 24, defense connections between Moscow and Beijing have become closer, as evidenced by the drills. China has steadfastly refrained from criticizing Russia’s behavior, claiming that the United States is the “main instigator” of the conflict because it has sanctioned Moscow and supported NATO expansion.
In response, after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent trip to Taiwan, Russia has consistently supported China despite the hostilities with the US.
In a speech earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and US assistance for Ukraine as examples of alleged American efforts to sow instability throughout the world.
In recent years, Russia and China have conducted a number of combined war simulations, which have included naval exercises and long-range bomber patrols over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Russian soldiers entered Chinese territory for joint maneuvers for the first time last year.
As both Moscow and Beijing experience rising tensions with the West, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have grown close personally to support a ‘strategic partnership’ between the former communist rivals.
Putin has stated that the potential of a military alliance cannot be considered, despite Moscow and Beijing having previously dismissed the idea. He added that China has received highly sensitive military technologies from Russia, which have considerably improved China’s defense capabilities.