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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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Russia deployed two warships, including a missile cruiser, near Japan following a British aircraft carrier operating off its Far Eastern coastline.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.
Why It Matters
During its war against Ukraine, Russia maintains a military presence in its Far East region, which lies across the Sea of Japan from Japan, including a joint naval exercise and patrol with China last month.
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Japan, which plays a key role in keeping China at bay under America's island chain strategy, also regularly reports Russian military aircraft and vessel movements near its airspace and territorial waters, which extend up to 13.8 miles from its coastline.
As part of its Indo-Pacific deployment, the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales transited from the Pacific off Japan's eastern coast to the Sea of Japan off the country's western coast over the weekend, deploying fighter jets for a drill with Japanese aircraft.
What To Know
Japan's Defense Ministry reported on Monday that two Russian naval vessels transited the Soya Strait, also known as the La Pérouse Strait, between Saturday and Sunday on an eastward voyage, heading from the Sea of Japan to the Sea of Okhotsk.
The waterway lies between Russia's Sakhalin Island to the north and Hokkaido, one of Japan's four main islands, to the south. A map provided by Japan's Defense Ministry shows that neither Russian vessel entered Japanese territorial waters during the transit.
In response to Russian naval movements, the Japan Self-Defense Forces deployed a vessel and an aircraft to conduct surveillance and gather intelligence, according to a press release. However, details of the Russian naval deployment remain unclear.
Based on their hull numbers, the Russian vessels were the Pacific Fleet's missile cruiser Varyag and the corvette Gromkiy. The Varyag, which serves as the Pacific Fleet's flagship, sailed close to Hawaii in 2021, according to defense outlet The War Zone.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales continued sailing southward in the Sea of Japan, conducting a training exercise with the South Korean navy in waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Monday, strengthening their ability to carry out joint operations.
What People Are Saying
Japan's defense white paper 2025: "The Russian military is continuing active military activities in the vicinity of Japan and its surrounding areas, showing its tendency to deploy the latest military equipment in the Far East. Russia's military activities in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, coupled with its strategic partnership with China, are posing a strong security concern."
The South Korean navy said in a Facebook post on Monday: "Through communication and tactical maneuver training, the [Republic of Korea] and [United Kingdom] navies mastered basic tactical procedures and enhanced their combined operational capabilities."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen where the deployed Russian naval vessels will operate in the Pacific.
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