Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday engaged in sweeping warfighting in his country’s Far East with troops from China and other nations, in a show of military might amid tensions with the West over Moscow’s action in Ukraine. The week-long exercise that began on Thursday is intended to showcase growing defense ties between Russia and China and also show that Moscow has enough troops and equipment for the massive drills even as its forces engage in fighting in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Vostok 2022 (East 2022) exercise, which will last until Wednesday at seven firing ranges in Russia’s Far East and the Sea of Japan, involves more than 50,000 troops and more than 5,000 weapons units, including 140 aircraft and 60 warships. It involves troops from several former Soviet nations, China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Syria. Beijing sent more than 2,000 troops along with more than 300 military vehicles, 21 fighter jets and three warships to take part in the drills, according to Chinese news reports. As part of the maneuvers, the Russian and Chinese navies in the Sea of Japan practiced joint action to protect sea communications and support ground forces in coastal areas. Neil Melvin, head of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute in London, noted that the exercises are intended to “signal to the West, to its partners in Asia, that this is an emerging security and military relationship that needs to take place. into account.” The drills continue a series of joint war games by Russia and China in recent years, including naval exercises and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Last year, Russian troops were deployed for the first time on Chinese soil for joint maneuvers. The exercise marked the first time China sent forces from three branches of its military to take part in a single Russian exercise, a sign of growing close ties between Moscow and Beijing, which have strengthened since Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February. 24. China has steadfastly refused to criticize Russia’s actions, blaming the US and NATO for provoking Moscow, and has criticized the West’s punitive sanctions against Russia. The Kremlin, in turn, has strongly backed Beijing amid the latest tensions with the US following a recent visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have developed strong personal ties to cement a “strategic partnership” between the former communist rivals as both are locked in competition with the US, even though Moscow and Beijing have previously ruled out a military alliance, Putin said. that such a prospect cannot be ruled out. Analyst Melvin said that while Beijing wants to showcase its growing defense ties with Russia, China is not in a position where it can support Russia economically without harming its own core interests because of its focus on its markets. North America and Europe. Given the sweeping Western sanctions against Russia, “Chinese businesses have had to look very carefully at their economic relationship with Russia, and in many cases, Chinese businesses have come to the conclusion that it would be too risky to continue doing business,” he said. . Melvin said Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine and Western sanctions have made Russia increasingly dependent on China. “China will clearly set the agenda more and more,” Melvin said. “He may actually be demanding more from Russia.” Associated Press reporters Kwiyeon Ha in London contributed to this report.
