Russian Pacific Fleet Warships Begin Deployment at Sea as Part of Vostok 2022 Drills

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Warships of Russia's Pacific Fleet are being deployed in Japan and ​​Okhotsk seas as part of the Vostok-2022 strategic military exercises, with more then 50 military vessels already operating in combat training ranges, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

"Warships of the Pacific Fleet have started being deployed at sea as part of the Vostok-2022 strategic command post exercises. At this stage, over 50 warships, boats, submarines and vessels of the auxiliary fleet are already operating in maritime combat training ranges of ​​Japan and ​​Okhotsk seas as part of tactical groups," the ministry said in a statement.

During the drills, the Pacific Fleet, Russia's long-range aviation and the Chinese navy will jointly perform tasks of anti-ship, -air and -submarine defense in the Sea of ​​Japan and east of Kamchatka. Moreover, servicemen are expected to carry out missile test launches and artillery firing at surface and air targets, as well as actions to repel air attacks, search for and destroy submarines of a conditional enemy.

"In the waters of the Sea of ​​Japan, the group of the Pacific Fleet's forces and China's naval forces will work out joint practical actions to defend sea communications and areas of maritime economic activity, assist ground forces in the Primorsky area," the statement added.

In addition, the fleet forces will practice defeating naval groups and sea landing forces of an imaginary enemy with missile strikes and artillery firing in the Far Eastern island zone and near Kamchatka.

The strategic Vostok-2022 military exercises are taking place in Russia's Eastern Military District from September 1-7. The drills involve members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as well as other partner states. Over 50,000 people, more than 5,000 units of weapons and military equipment, including 140 aircraft, 60 warships, boats and support vessels are involved in the maneuvers.

In particular, more than 2,000 Chinese soldiers and 300 units of Chinese automotive military equipment are participating in the Vostok-2022 exercises, the Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday, citing China's command and control task force.