Russia launches massive naval drills with China

The Russian military on Tuesday launched massive naval and air drills spanning across both hemispheres and including China in joint maneuvers.

The “Ocean-24” exercise spans the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the Mediterranean, Caspian and Baltic Seas and involves over 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, more than 120 planes and helicopters and over 90,000 troops, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. The maneuvers will continue through Sept. 16, the ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in comments to military officials that the war games are the largest of their kind in three decades, and that China’s warships and planes were taking part. China confirmed that on Monday , saying the two countries’ navies would cruise together in Pacific, but gave no details.

A total of 15 countries have been invited to observe the drills, Putin said, without naming them.

“We pay special attention to strengthening military cooperation with friendly states. Today, in the context of growing geopolitical tensions in the world, this is especially important,” Putin said.

The Russian leader accused the United States of “trying to maintain its global military and political dominance at any cost," seeking “to inflict a strategic defeat” on Russia in its war with Ukraine and to “break the established security architecture and balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region.”

“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 and China, along with other U.S. critics such as Iran, have aligned their foreign policies to challenge and potentially overturn the Western-led liberal democratic order.

With joint exercises, Russia has sought Chinese help in achieving its long-cherished aim of becoming a Pacific power, while Moscow has backed China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and elsewhere.

Russia’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said the drills are aimed to train “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.”

周二，俄罗斯军方启动了横跨南北半球的大规模海空联合演习，中国也参与其中。

俄罗斯国防部在一份声明中表示，“海洋-24”联合军演横跨太平洋、北冰洋、地中海、里海和波罗的海，出动超过400艘军舰、潜艇和支援舰艇，120多架飞机和直升机，以及超过9万名官兵。声明还指出，演习将持续至9月16日。

俄罗斯总统普京在对军方官员发表讲话时表示，此次联合军演是三十年来规模最大的一次，中国的军舰和飞机都将参加。中国周一证实了这一消息，称两国海军将在太平洋进行联合巡航，但没有透露更多细节。

普京表示，共有15个国家受邀观摩此次演习，但他没有透露这些国家的名称。

普京表示：“我们特别重视加强与友好国家的军事合作。在当今世界地缘政治紧张局势日益加剧的背景下，这一点尤为重要。”

俄罗斯领导人指责美国“不惜一切代价试图维持其全球军事和政治主导地位”，企图在俄罗斯与乌克兰的战争中“给俄罗斯造成战略性失败”，并“破坏亚太地区既定的安全架构和权力平衡”。

普京表示，“美国及其卫星国以应对所谓俄罗斯威胁和遏制中华人民共和国为借口，正在俄罗斯西部边境、北极和亚太地区加强军事存在”，并强调“俄罗斯必须为局势的任何发展做好准备”。

俄罗斯和中国，以及伊朗等其他美国批评者，已经协调一致地制定外交政策，以挑战并有可能推翻西方主导的自由民主秩序。

通过联合演习，俄罗斯寻求中国的帮助，以实现其长期以来成为太平洋强国的目标，而莫斯科则支持中国在南海和其他地区的领土主张。

俄罗斯国防部长安德烈·别洛乌索夫表示，此次演习旨在训练“从海洋方向击退潜在敌人的大规模侵略、打击无人艇、无人驾驶飞行器、保卫海军基地、进行两栖作战以及护送运输船”。