Russian ships return from joint Pacific patrolling with Chinese ships

Aug 27 (Reuters) – A detachment of Russia’s navy
warships returned from more than three weeks of joint-patrolling
of the Pacific Ocean with Chinese navy ships, the Russian
Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.

Warships of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, together with a
detachment of Chinese navy ships travelled more than 7,000
nautical miles through the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, the
Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Interfax reported citing the
Fleet’s press service.

During the patrol, the Russian-Chinese detachment passed
along the Kuril ridge, the agency reported.

The islands, off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido,
are known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern
Territories and have been at the core of decades of tension
between the neighbours.

The Russian-Chinese warships also circled part of the
Aleutian Islands archipelago. Most of the Aleutian Islands
belong to the U.S. state of Alaska, but the Commander Islands
near the Kamchatka Peninsula are part of Russia.

The Wall Street Journal reported in early August that 11
Russian and Chinese ships steamed close to the Aleutian Islands,
in what appeared to be appeared to be the largest such flotilla
to approach American shores.

The ships never entered U.S. territorial waters, the
newspaper reported, citing U.S. officials.

Interfax on Sunday reported that some of the Pacific Fleet’s
largest warships participated in the patrol.

“During the patrol, joint anti-submarine and anti-aircraft
exercises were carried out, a search was made for submarines of
a mock enemy using helicopters and aircraft of naval aviation
from both sides, mock missile firing was carried out at a
detachment of mock enemy ships,” the agency reported.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw; Editing by Christopher
Cushing)