"Russia's Pacific Fleet on High Alert for Surprise Drills"
The Russian Pacific Fleet has been put on high alert for snap drills that will involve missile launches, nuclear-capable strategic bombers, and other warplanes. The drills are intended to test the capability of Russia's armed forces to mount a response to aggression amid tensions with the West over the fighting in Ukraine. The scenario envisages a response to an adversary's attempt to make a landing on Sakhalin Island and the southern Kuril Islands, which Japan asserts territorial rights to. The drills come ahead of a planned trip to Moscow by Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu, where he will discuss prospects of bilateral defence cooperation and acute issues of global and regional security with Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu.
