Russian and Chinese military conducted another round of joint exercises as part of the 'Vostok-2022' (East 2022) drills planned in the country's Far East, in footage released by the Defence Ministry in Moscow on Saturday (September 3), Reuters reports.
Naval vessels from the Russian Pacific Fleet and the Chinese navy carried out firing at surface targets as part of the strategic command and staff exercise. Russian defence ministry reported the crews of TU-95 strategic bombers performed flights, as units of Russia's army completed tasks for the defence of the Kuril Islands.
Russia has said that 50,000 troops would take part in the exercises. According to official figures quoted by Russian media, some 5,000 pieces of weaponry and combat vehicles, including 140 aircraft and 60 naval ships, are expected to join in the drills, which began on September 1.
This is a far cry from numbers observed during "Vostok 2018" drills which involved - according to Western estimations - a total of 300,000 military personnel, 36,000 pieces of combat equipment, and more than 1,000 warplanes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended "Vostok 2018", is expected to oversee this year's drills on September 6, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday (September 2).
