The Russian Navy and the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China have concluded a series of exercises in the Yellow Sea and began conducting joint patrols in the region.
The exercises under the name Joint Sea 2026 were held from July 6 to 13 and involved Russian Navy and PLAN surface ships, submarines, and aviation elements. Activities during the exercises included drills in anti-submarine warfare, air defence, and search and rescue.
The Russian Navy contingent for the exercises consisted of the Pacific Fleet's flagship, the Slava-class cruiser Varyag, as well as the Steregushchiy-class corvette Rezkiy, the Project 636.3 diesel-electric attack submarine Ufa, and the Project 21300 rescue ship Igor Belousov.
The PLAN vessels meanwhile included the destroyers Anshan and Kaifeng, the frigate Wuhu, the supply ship Kekesilihu, the rescue vessel Yangchenghu, and an unidentified Yuan-class diesel-electric submarine.
The two navies' joint patrols began shortly after the Joint Sea 2026 concluding ceremony was held at the PLAN's Qingdao Naval Base.
A statement that had been published earlier by the Russian Pacific Fleet said that "some forces from both sides" will participate in joint patrols of the Pacific Ocean, though no specific areas were mentioned.