Russia-China naval drills 'not aimed against anyone,' says Kremlin

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. The Russia-China Joint Sea 2026 naval exercise is not aimed against anyone and is an important factor of security cooperation, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"Regarding our joint exercises, I must say that they are not directed against anyone, including any country in the region, and all sides should proceed from this position," Peskov said at a news briefing.

"On the contrary, cooperation in such an important and responsible area between Russia and China is a very important factor that contributes to predictability and regional security," he added.

Chief of the Joint Sea 2026 Exercise from the Russian side, Rear Admiral Sergey Sinko, stated earlier that this year, the Russia-China naval exercise will address a broad range of tasks, including joint maneuvering, artillery firings on targets, anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue operations, and also measures to practice communications. During the maneuvers, the naval sailors from both countries will practice rescuing a submarine crew, he specified.

The Russia-China Joint Sea 2026 exercise will run in the Yellow Sea on July 6-13. The Russian Navy is represented in the naval drills by the Pacific Fleet’s Guards cruiser Varyag, corvette Rezky, diesel-electric submarine Ufa and rescue vessel Igor Belousov. The Chinese Navy is represented by the destroyers Anshan and Kaifeng, the frigate Wuhu, a Yuan-class diesel-electric submarine, the comprehensive replenishment ship Kekexilihu and the rescue vessel Yangchenghu.

The Russian and Chinese naval sailors supported by naval aircraft at sea will refine the skills of joint rescue operations, practice anti-submarine and air defense objectives and conduct joint artillery firings. At some stage of the drills, they will train to rescue the crew of a notional submarine in distress with the help of a submersible vehicle.