The Russian Navy has been conducting anti-ship missile tests on a dummy target in the Sea of Japan, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
These exercises by the Russian Pacific Fleet come a week after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Ukraine.
“In the waters of the Sea of Japan, missile ships from the Pacific Fleet fired Moskit cruise missiles at a fictitious enemy sea target,” the ministry said on Telegram. According to him, two ships took part in this exercise.
“The target, located about 100 kilometers away, was successfully hit by a direct hit by two Moskit cruise missiles,” the ministry added, adding that its naval air force “monitored the safety of the combat exercise.”
Russia said last week, as the Japanese prime minister began his visit to Ukraine, that two of its TU-95 bombers were flying in airspace over international waters in the Sea of Japan.
Japan joined the sanctions imposed on Russia by its western allies following its offensive in Ukraine.
Russia’s far eastern Pacific coast is separated from Japan by the narrow Sea of Japan.