Ships from both countries departed from military ports early in the morning, heading to waters near Vladivostok, Russia, for multi-domain exercises. Chinese military experts said the exercises, which include submarine-related training, are expected to further increase interoperability between the two navys.
Participating Chinese and Russian naval groups departed from military ports towards waters near Russia’s Vladivostok on Sunday morning, performing multi-subject drills, marking the full-scale launch of the maritime portion of the Joint Coast 2025 exercise, according to China’s Bugra, official media account belonging to China’s News Media Center.
At about 5am, Chinese comprehensive rescue ship Xihu and Russian rescue ship Igor Belusov first left the port with support from Russian tugboats and port personnel. It was followed by Chinese Type 052D guided missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, as well as large Russian anti-submarine admiral tributaries and Corvette Lecky, the report said.
Upon departing, the vessels quickly formed the mixed-Chinese Russian formation in accordance with the joint coordination plan and proceeded to the designated mission area. In the open sea, Chinese and Russian ships established communication links and exchanged important information such as hydromatological conditions and marine and air activity.
Prior to this, joint commands formed by both sides conducted chart-based rehearsals according to the exercise plan. The discussion focuses on organizational structure and forced coordination, with both sides working on improving subjects and safety protocols for the drill. The report states that not only submarine rescue operations were exchanged, but also topics such as undersea violations and defense.
According to the exercise schedule, the Chinese and Russian naval formations will carry out three-day maritime training. The exercise will target subjects such as submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine warfare, aviation and missile defense, and naval combat. Live-action training will also be conducted to test the results of plans and adjustments achieved during the forecast phase, according to the report.
This is part of the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian forces, which does not target any third parties and is unrelated to the current international and regional situation, Colonel Zhang Xiaogan, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Defense, said at a regular press conference on Wednesday.
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