While focusing on the Asia Pacific region, we are also keeping an eye on Europe and Russia's two ocean military exercise fleets | exercises | military exercises
On June 5th, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that starting from that day, the Russian Pacific Fleet began conducting combat exercises in the waters and airspace located in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. The participating forces include over 60 combat and support vessels, as well as 35 types of aircraft, with a total force of approximately 11000 people.
On the same day, the Russian Baltic Fleet began conducting exercises at multiple training grounds in the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, with a total of 40 ships, 25 fighter jets, and more than 3500 soldiers participating.
What signal does the simultaneous exercise of the two main fleets of the Russian Navy, as Ukraine continues to promote a "major counterattack," release?
Why are the exercises held in these two directions?
Data image: footage of the Russian Navy fleet conducting exercises in the central Pacific Ocean
Recently, rumors of Ukraine's "counterattack" have been rampant. In this context, the two main fleets of the Russian Navy conducted exercises simultaneously, which, in the view of military observer Yin Zhuo, demonstrated Russia's determination and courage to respond to the strategic pressure from the United States and the West in Europe and the Asia Pacific direction.
Yin Zhuo:
The Pacific direction is a key direction for Russia's future economic development, and Russia needs to demonstrate that it is not a weak country, but a regional powerhouse.
Starting from June 4th, NATO launched large-scale military exercises in the Baltic Sea direction, clearly challenging Russia's security bottom line.
But even in closed waters such as the Baltic Sea that are beneficial to NATO, Russia has the ability to respond, while the Northern Fleet and the Pacific Fleet are more capable of facing challenges in two large open waters.
The focus of the exercise is different
Data chart: Russian Pacific Fleet missile boats
Although the exercises of the two Russian fleets took place on the same day, Yin Zhuo stated that the focus of the exercises was not the same.
Yin Zhuo:
In the direction of the Baltic Sea, Russia's maritime exercises are clearly defensive, while the actions of the United States and NATO are offensive. The United States and NATO participate in large-scale combat vessels such as destroyers and frigates; The main vessels deployed by Russia are small and medium-sized vessels, with their active waters close to Russia's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea.
In the Pacific direction, Russia mainly conducts strategic and offensive exercises, crossing a wide sea area and expanding its forces to the Sea of Japan, indicating that Russia has the ability to strategically compress the forces of Japan, South Korea, and the United States stationed in Japan and South Korea.
In terms of exercise content, Russia mainly conducts live fire shooting from land-based shooting ranges in the Baltic Sea direction, and conducts air to air live fire shooting, sea to sea strikes, anti submarine, electronic countermeasures exercises, etc. in the Pacific direction, with strong practicality.
How will the Russian Black Sea fleet respond to the challenge?
Data image: Russian Black Sea Fleet
In the direction of the Black Sea, the Russian military recently claimed to have destroyed the last combat ship of the Ukrainian navy, while the Russian Black Sea fleet had been frequently attacked earlier.
Yin Zhuo believes that the current Russian Black Sea Fleet has resolved issues such as lack of understanding of enemy force deployment and improper deployment of electronic countermeasures. In the future, it will strengthen support and support for the flank of the land defense line from a maritime perspective.
Yin Zhuo:
The Russian Black Sea Fleet aims to prevent Ukraine from engaging in sudden landing operations with the support of NATO or other countries.
The Black Sea Fleet has basic control over the sea and air direction of the Russian Ukrainian battlefield, which will play a significant role in the war.
in order to break through the containment,
Will Russia conduct regular exercises?
Recently, NATO has held consecutive military exercises around Russia, and the United States and the West are continuing to increase military aid to Ukraine.
Can Russia break through NATO's containment in the next step? Yin Zhuo explained this.
Yin Zhuo:
From more than a year of war practice, Russia has broken through the comprehensive containment by the United States and NATO, and changed its political and diplomatic isolation. Countries around the world also have a more objective view of the United States instigating the war in Ukraine and using the war to squeeze Russia's living space.
In the future, Russia's exercises in relevant waters will become normalized. Because the pressure of the United States and NATO on Russia in the Atlantic direction will not stop, and the actions challenging the security bottom line of Russia and other Asian powers in the Pacific direction will not stop.
