10
Loading video...
By John Feng
China Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Japan said its forces shadowed a lone Russian warship as it maneuvered between its main islands toward the Pacific this week, as Moscow put on a new show of force in the region.
The Russian corvette Gremyashchiy, the lead ship of its class, steamed through the Tsugaru Strait on March 19 and was photographed by a Japanese P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The anti-submarine turboprop plane had been sent to monitor the ship's movements, the Joint Staff of Japan's Self-Defense Forces said on Thursday.
Newsweek's map, based on Tokyo's report, shows the Gremyashchiy leaving the Sea of Japan via the Tsugaru Strait—just 12 miles wide at its narrowest point—between the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu.
Read More
ISIS Claims Attack on Moscow Concert Hall After Ukraine Blames Putin5 min read
Chinese Ships Intrude Into Waters in Disputed Islets, US Ally Says4 min read
Chinese Banks Tighten Financial Noose Around Russia4 min read
Japan's territorial waters in the strait extend only 3 nautical miles from its coast instead of the typical 12 nautical miles, allowing for a narrow high-seas passage.
Russia's Pacific Fleet is headquartered in the closed town of Fokino on the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan—known in both Koreas as the East Sea. Its warships make regular use of the Tsugaru Strait when entering the Pacific.
Russia's Defense Ministry, which designates the Gremyashchiy as a Project 20385 corvette, could not be reached for comment.
Russian naval forces in the Pacific have ramped up combat drills this month in a possible sign that planned springtime training exercises have begun.
...
On Friday, Russia's Defense Ministry released footage showing what it said was a Kalibr cruise missile test in the Sea of Japan.
A missile, fired from underwater by the Improved Kilo II-class submarine Volkhov, struck a coastal target over 620 miles away in the Khabarovsk Krai region in Russia's Far East, the ministry's said in a social media post.
The Volkhov, a diesel-electric boat assigned to the Pacific Fleet, was commissioned in fall 2020. Moscow classifies its upgraded designs and capabilities under the designation Project 636.3.
Other Russian naval forces in the Pacific have held live-fire exercises for at least two weeks, according to publicly available reports in state media.
On Wednesday, the Project 20380 corvettes Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, Gromkiy and Sovershennyy—known by NATO as Steregushchiy-class warships—also took part in firing exercises in the Sea of Japan, Russia's Pacific Fleet said.
...
The Chinese air force and navy have also been active in the Pacific. Japan's Joint Staff said that a Chinese Type 636A (known by NATO as Shupang class) hydrographic survey ship sailed into the Western Pacific via the southwestern Japanese islands on Friday.
Other recent warship movements suggest joint maneuvers with the Russian navy are likely in the coming weeks.
Update 3/23/24, 6:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines