On Tuesday, Russia’s defence ministry declared that its navy had launched test anti-ship missiles at simulated targets in the Sea of Japan as part of its military exercises.
The drills were conducted by Russia’s Pacific Fleet and involved firing missiles at mock targets. This announcement came just a week after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Ukraine.
“In the waters of the Sea of Japan, missile boats of the Pacific Fleet fired Moskit cruise missiles at a mock enemy sea target,” the ministry said on Telegram early on Tuesday.
It said two ships took part in the exercise.
“The target, located at a distance of about 100 kilometres (62 miles), was successfully hit by a direct hit from two Moskit cruise missiles.”
Moscow claimed that the “safety of the combat exercise” was overseen by its naval aviation.
Russia claimed last week that two of its Tu-95 strategic bombers had flown “over neutral waters in the Sea of Japan”
Following Kishida’s visit to Kyiv to confer with Zelensky, the bomber jet flights were conducted.
In imposing sanctions on Russia for its offensive in Ukraine, Japan has joined its Western partners.
The confined Sea of Japan separates Japan from the far eastern Pacific shore of Russia.
