Russia holds the biggest post-Soviet navy drills with China

 

Russian bomber planes have been seen flying over Norwegian waters during Moscow's largest naval exercise since the Soviet Union's collapse. The Russian Defence Ministry reported that Tu-160 strategic bombers also flew over the Barents Sea as part of the "Ocean-2024" drills, which began on Tuesday. The exercise involves around 400 warships, 120 aircraft, and 90,000 personnel, running until September 16.

Footage released by the ministry displayed missile launches and gunfire targeting water surface objectives. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the exercise's goal was to apply lessons learned from Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine. He further accused Washington of triggering a new arms race.

Putin noted that 15 countries were invited to observe the drills, although the U.S. anticipates only China's participation.

Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder emphasized that the drills posed "no threat to the U.S. homeland or the NATO alliance." Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned of political and other reactions if the U.S. deploys missiles in Japan.

The Japan Times recently reported that the U.S. had shown interest in stationing the Typhon mid-range missile system in Japan for joint military drills. This deployment would extend U.S. missile reach to China, Russia, and North Korea simultaneously.

Moscow warned Washington that it would destroy any long-range missiles fired into Russia, as the U.S. considers easing restrictions on Ukraine’s use of such weapons. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov cautioned about the risks of sending Ukraine long-range missiles, according to state media.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal urged the U.K.'s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian soil. During their meeting in Kyiv, Shmyhal expressed hope for assistance in obtaining equipment for strikes against their enemy.

As the U.K. and U.S. deliberate whether to provide Ukraine with long-range British Storm Shadow missiles, tensions remain high. Additionally, the Kremlin has called on Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to refrain from mentioning Putin’s name in U.S. election debates. Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, criticized the use of the Russian president’s name as a tool in U.S. political disputes, urging American candidates to leave Putin out of their discussions.