New Delhi: In a move likely to be watched closely by New Delhi and Washington D.C., diesel-electric submarines from the Russian Navy and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy this week carried out their first-ever joint underwater patrol in the Asia-Pacific, indicating an expansion of the bilateral military activity between Moscow and Beijing which already conduct joint naval patrols and joint bomber exercises.
The Russian Pacific Fleet announced in a statement on Telegram Wednesday that its Kilo-class attack submarine Volkhov (B-603) took part in the patrol, alongside a yet-to-be identified Chinese submarine.
“The underwater patrol began in early August, following the conclusion of the Russia-China ‘Maritime Interaction-2025’ exercise in the Sea of Japan,” the statement read. Adding, “The Pacific Fleet submarine and the PLA Navy submarine proceeded along an agreed patrol route in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.”
The two submarines then proceeded along an agreed route in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea before returning to their bases.
The patrol is reported to have covered more than 2,000 nautical miles and was accompanied by the Russian Pacific Fleet’s Gromkiy, a corvette and the Fotiy Krylov, a rescue tug. These support vessels provided escort and logistical backing, roles that typically include safeguarding submarines, maintaining communications, and delivering emergency assistance if needed, displaying the scale and preparation involved.
According to Russian state-owned news agency TASS, the aim of the patrol is “to strengthen naval cooperation between the two countries, ensure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, monitor the maritime area and protect Russian and Chinese maritime economic facilities”.
Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the state-run Global Times that the first joint submarine patrol reflected a high level of strategic trust between China and Russia. He added, “having submarines keep in contact requires not only higher technical expertise but also more in-depth exchanges”.
Meanwhile, at a briefing last month, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defence, clarified that the drills between the two countries were part of the two militaries’ annual cooperation plan. “They are not directed against any third party, nor are they related to the current international or regional situation.”
The joint patrol comes at a time when the United States has imposed a 50 percent tariff on India, citing New Delhi’s long-standing defence partnership with Moscow and its continued purchases of Russian oil. On Sunday, US Vice President J.D. Vance said President Donald Trump used “aggressive economic leverage with India”, to pressure Russia to halt its bombing campaign in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is, meanwhile, expected to land in Tianjin Sunday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, his first visit to China since 2018, where he will join Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other leaders.
The patrol also comes just days before a large-scale military parade in Beijing, which the Chinese foreign ministry said will be attended by more than two dozen foreign leaders, including Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Moscow and Beijing have increasingly sought to coordinate and project deterrence against rival powers. In July last year, they carried out their first joint bomber exercise near Alaska, with two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 ‘Bear’ long-range bombers flying alongside two Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Xi’an H-6 bombers.
In 2024 alone, Russia and China held a record 11 joint military exercises, the highest ever in a single year. These included seven naval drills, their first joint naval patrol in the Arctic Ocean, and an inaugural coast guard mission.
Since signing a “no-limits” strategic partnership in early 2022, just before Russia launched its ‘special military operation’, China and Russia have routinely held joint military exercises designed to enhance coordination and project deterrence to rival powers.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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