The Russian news agency Interfax reported on Sunday that a detachment of warships from the Russian Navy has returned after a joint patrol in the Pacific with the Chinese Navy that lasted more than three weeks. Interfax quoted the press service of the Russian Pacific Fleet as stating that warships from the fleet, alongside a detachment of vessels from the Chinese Navy, covered more than 7,000 nautical miles across the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Pacific Ocean.
The report noted that during the patrol, the Russian and Chinese ships passed alongside the Kuril Islands. These islands are located off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and are known in Russia as the Kuril Islands and in Japan as the Northern Territories, which have remained a focal point of tensions between the two neighboring countries for decades.
Interfax further mentioned that several of the largest warships from the Pacific Fleet participated in the patrol. It added, "During the patrol, joint anti-submarine and anti-aircraft drills were conducted, as well as simulations of operations to search for enemy submarines using helicopters and naval aircraft from both sides, and also a simulation of missile launches on a group of submarines."
