Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Friday that the Russian fleet in the Pacific Ocean was put on high alert, and the start of previously unannounced exercises, in an atmosphere of rapprochement with Beijing and tension with the West.
On orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Shoigu said Russia's Pacific Fleet, based in Vladivostok in the Far East, would work "in a short time" on combat exercises in naval areas "near and far".
During these exercises, the Pacific Fleet will train to "repel intense air attacks," "search for and destroy submarines," as well as fire from torpedoes, artillery and missiles, Shoigu said during a meeting with senior officers.
The drills are also aimed at "strengthening the capabilities of the armed forces to repel an attack", he said.
Shoigu said the commander of the entire Russian fleet, Admiral Nikolai Efmenov, would oversee the exercises.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the drills were "not linked" to NATO's presence in the Asia-Pacific region, where attention is focused on China and its U.S. rival.
"It is a normal and routine military exercise, the development of our armed forces and the verification of their combat readiness," he said, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently not scheduled.
"The practice of surprise checks is continuous, habitual and in recent years has been carried out consistently," he said.
The Russian exercises in the Pacific come as Beijing, which regularly conducts joint military exercises with the Russian military, announced on Friday a visit by the Chinese defense minister to Russia from April 16 to 19.