Why is the Russian Navy increasing its presence in the Pacific?
The increased activity of the Russian Pacific Fleet is due to the need to ensure security on the country's eastern borders, especially the Kuril Islands.
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| Russian Navy Ship. |
At the same time, Russia's actions do not pose any threat to neighboring countries in the region, said the head of the all-Russian movement in support of the fleet, captain 1st rank Mikhail Nenashev.
Earlier, the Japanese Ministry of Defense reported that 28 ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet passed through La Perouse Bay (the bay between the islands of Hokkaido and Sakhalin). Japan said that this was the largest group of Russian ships since the Cold War to carry out similar activities. The news agency emphasized that the Russian ships did not carry out any hostile actions and did not violate Japanese territorial waters.
"The passage of ships of our Pacific Fleet through the bay over the past 5-7 years is a maritime practice, the Japanese are not surprised. We need to increase our presence in this region, because this is a requirement of the developments in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming years," said Mr. Nenashev.
The expert stressed that Russia has no plans to expand into the Asia-Pacific region, and the main purpose of the Pacific Fleet's presence in the region is to maintain the security of the Russian Federation.
"The Pacific Fleet is in the lead in the number of ships in combat readiness. Comments from the Japanese side are an objective confirmation of what we say at home: today the fleet is not in the harbor, but at sea. Moreover, the Kuril Islands are Russian territory, and the Kuril region is especially important from a defense point of view," the interlocutor of the news agency emphasized.
