The military exercise performed by Russian President Vladimir Putin demonstrates the alliance with China against the backdrop of more than six months of war with Ukraine. But until then, Vostok 2022 has fewer men compared to the last edition in 2018.
Fewer soldiers and planes
According to information from Folha, 300,000 men were announced in 2018, although the figures are widely debated by experts. It was also reportedly the largest exercise of its kind since the Cold War. This time, the Kremlin announced that Vostok 2022 will be smaller and contain 50,000 troops.
A report by CNN Portugal also shows that the exercises held at the time involved 1,000 aircraft and more than 30,000 tanks and armored vehicles, according to official data released in 2018.
On the other hand, according to The Washington Post, the military exercise, which started last Thursday (1st) and continued until this Wednesday (7th), involved 50,000 soldiers, as well as 140 aircraft and 60 warships. The information was obtained from the Russian authorities.
According to Chinese media, China has sent more than 2,000 soldiers and more than 300 military vehicles to participate in the exercises. The contingent sent by Beijing also includes 21 warplanes and three warships. Vostok 2022 takes place at seven sites in Russia’s Far East and Sea of Japan.
Union with China and other allies
According to Reuters, by continuing the military exercises, Putin appears to be sending a signal that the Russian armed forces are capable of carrying out such actions despite the demands of war.
In addition to China, forces from India, Algeria, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria and six former Soviet republics also participated in the military maneuvers.
The Russian Ministry of Defense released a video yesterday (6) of the naval part of the exercise, showing the fleet’s practice of launching Kalibr cruise missiles that hit a target more than 300 km away.
Calibrators are high-precision missiles that can be fired from lightly armored ships, submarines, fighters and trucks.
“Width and accuracy [mísseis] Kalibr allows the Russian Navy to target, easily control and destroy distant targets,” security expert Alex Betley told Russian state media Sputnik.
The Kalibr missile can travel 2,000 kilometers (equivalent to the distance between São Paulo and Salvador) and can carry 700 kilograms of explosives. This explosive charge can also be nuclear.
(5) On Monday, Russian and Chinese warships practiced to counter an enemy air attack using air defense artillery systems. According to the ministry, warships from the two countries carried out defensive operations in the Sea of Japan last week.
Putin follows military exercises
Putin was in the far east of the country to monitor military exercises. He went to the city of Ussiriisk, home to the main training camp Sergeyevsky. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, he met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valeri Guerassimov.
This Wednesday (7), the Russian leader attended the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, which is also the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet. Also, according to Folha, Putin is meeting with Li Zhanshu, who is the third person in the Chinese Communist Party hierarchy.
This will be Putin’s main face-to-face meeting with a Chinese official since he was in Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics on February 24 before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile in the USA…
The United States said on Wednesday it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a previously announced operation to avoid escalating tensions with Russia during the conflict in Ukraine.
The unarmed Minuteman 3 was launched on September 7 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 01:13 (05:13 GMT) and traveled approximately 6,760 km over the Pacific Ocean before sinking into the sea near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. . Force a statement.
“This test launch is part of routine and periodic activities designed to demonstrate that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, reliable and effective,” the statement said. Said. “This test is not the result of current world events.”
The United States does not usually announce ICBM missile tests in advance, but the final test of the Minuteman 3, a missile equipped with a warhead capable of carrying nuclear bombs in times of war, had to be postponed twice due to international tensions. . . .
The expedition, originally scheduled for March, was initially delayed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, and Washington feared Moscow would use this test to spread the conflict to other countries.
And it was postponed for a second time in early August after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, an island claimed by Beijing.
The test was finally completed successfully on August 16.
Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder said at a news conference Tuesday that it was a coincidence that the two tests were conducted so closely together.
In service for 50 years, Minuteman 3 is currently the only land-based ICBM in the US nuclear arsenal.
The missiles are located in silos at three military bases: Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana.
The US arsenal also includes submarine-launched Trident ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons carried by strategic bombers. (with international organizations)
source: Noticias
