MOSCOW. July 18 (Interfax) - Ships from Russia's Pacific Fleet have departed Vladivostok to take part in a joint Russian-Chinese naval exercise in the Sea of Japan, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
"A group of the Pacific Fleet's warships has left Vladivostok to participate in the North/Interaction 2023 joint Russian-Chinese naval exercise, which will take place in the Sea of Japan in July," the ministry said.
The Russian Defense Ministry released video footage on Tuesday showing the ships' departure from Vladivostok.
The Admiral Tributs and Admiral Panteleyev large anti-submarine ships and the Gremyashchy and Aldar Tsydenzhapov corvettes of the Pacific Fleet will take part in the drills, the ministry said.
Commander of the Pacific Fleet Combined Arms Forces' Primorye Flotilla Rear Adm. Valery Kazakov is leading the ships at sea, it said.
"Four warships and a logistics vessel of the People's Liberation Army Navy of China sailed from Qingdao port a few days earlier," the ministry said.
China's Defense Ministry said earlier that aircraft would participate in the drills as well. The maneuvers aim to "safeguard the security of strategic waterways", the Chinese military said.
The drills take place "in the northern theater of operations in the central part of the Sea of Japan," the Chinese Defense Ministry said.
The goal of the exercise is to "further raise the level of strategic cooperation between the two militaries and to strengthen their capabilities to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, as well as respond to various security challenges," it said in a statement.
Russia and China have regularly conducted joint naval exercises and joint patrols with their strategic aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region.
A group of the Pacific Fleet's ships comprising the Gromky and Sovershenny corvettes and the Pechenga tanker made a port call at the Chinese Navy's base in Shanghai earlier this month.
Russian Navy Commander Nikolai Yevmenov visited Beijing in early July. He held talks with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu. During his trip to China, Yevmenov visited shipyards, naval bases and naval academies in the cities of Qingdao and Shanghai.