The Russian Pacific Fleet was placed on high alert, at the highest level of combat readiness, as part of a surprise inspection this Friday (14). The information was released by the Minister of Defense of Russia, Serguei Shoigu.
According to Shoigu, part of the Aerospace Forces, military units and support units are also involved in the exercises. The aim is to increase the ability of the Russian Armed Forces to “repel the aggression of a potential enemy at sea”.
“According to the orders of the General Staff, the fleet will have to refine the utilization plan, taking into account the training situation, prepare forces for combat operations in a short period of time, carry out operational deployments and prepare a set of operations combat and training tasks in near and far sea zones,” said Shoigu.
The minister informed that “during the event, the Pacific Fleet will have to repel massive missiles and air attacks, carry out exercises to search and destroy submarines, launch torpedoes, artillery and missiles during the destruction of naval attack groups and land targets of a false enemy”.
It was also highlighted that the exercise will be used to assess combat readiness for the landing of a potential enemy in the South Kuril and Sakhalin Islands.
The Southern Kuril Islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan that dates back to the end of World War II, when the Soviet Union took over territory from Japan. To this day, there is no formal peace treaty over the region. Japan regards these islands as “an ancient and inalienable part of its territory”.
Last year, Russia announced it had suspended peace talks with Japan to protest Tokyo’s sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Russia has increased its military presence on the islands in recent years, deploying advanced fighter jets, anti-ship missiles and air defense systems.
The Pacific Fleet exercises began days before a planned trip to Moscow by Chinese Defense Minister General Li Shangfu.
Editing: Thales Schmidt
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
