Drills reflect increasing defense ties between Moscow and Beijing
\nMOSCOW
\nRussia said Monday it will launch sweeping military drills in the country\u2019s east that will involve forces from China \u2014 a show of increasingly close defense ties between Moscow and Beijing amid tensions with the West over the Kremlin\u2019s action in Ukraine.
\nThe Russian Defense Ministry said that the Vostok 2022 (East 2022) exercise will be held Sept. 1-7 in various locations in Russia\u2019s Far East and the Sea of Japan and involve more than 50,000 troops, over 5,000 weapons units, including 140 aircraft and 60 warships.
\nThe ministry released a video of Chinese troops arriving in Russia in preparation for the exercise. The drills will be conducted at seven firing ranges in far eastern Russia and will engage troops from several ex-Soviet nations, China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Syria.
\nThe ministry said that units of Russian Airborne troops, long-range bombers and military cargo planes will take part in the drills along with other forces.
\nWhile first announcing the exercise last month, the Russian military emphasized that it\u2019s part of planned combat training that is continuing despite Moscow\u2019s military action in Ukraine. It hasn\u2019t disclosed the number of troops engaged in what the Kremlin calls the \u201cspecial military operation\u201d there.
\nThe ministry noted that as part of the maneuvers, the Russian and Chinese navies in the Sea of Japan will \u201cpractice joint action to protect sea communications, areas of marine economic activity and support for ground troops in littoral areas.\u201d
\nThe drills reflect increasing defense ties between Moscow and Beijing, which have grown stronger since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. China has pointedly refused to criticize Russia\u2019s action, blaming the U.S. and NATO for provoking Moscow, and has blasted punishing sanctions imposed on Moscow.
\nRussia, in turn, has strongly backed China amid the tensions with the U.S. that followed a recent visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Speaking earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew parallels between U.S. support for Ukraine and Pelosi\u2019s trip to Taiwan, charging that both were part of alleged American efforts to foment global instability.
\nRussia and China have held a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Last year, Russian troops for the first time deployed to Chinese territory for joint maneuvers.
\nPutin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have developed strong personal ties to bolster a \u201cstrategic partnership\u201d between the former Communist rivals as both Moscow and Beijing face increasing tensions with the West.
\nEven though Moscow and Beijing in the past rejected the possibility of forging a military alliance, Putin has said that such a prospect can\u2019t be ruled out. He also has noted that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability.
\nWhile first announcing the drills last month, the Russian Defense Ministry emphasized that it\u2019s part of planned combat training that is continuing despite Moscow\u2019s military action in Ukraine. It hasn\u2019t disclosed the number of troops engaged in what the Kremlin calls the \u201cspecial military operation\u201d there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Drills reflect increasing defense ties between Moscow and Beijing MOSCOW Russia said Monday it will launch sweeping military drills in the country\u2019s east that will involve forces from China \u2014 a show of increasingly close defense ties between Moscow and Beijing amid tensions with the West over the Kremlin\u2019s action in Ukraine. The Russian Defense […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-280410","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n