Russia-China naval drill enters into active phase
MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax-AVN) - Battleships of Russia and China are practicing the release of a captured vessel and convoy operations in the active stage of the Naval Interaction 2014 exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry press service and information department told Interfax-AVN on Friday.
"Today the battleships of the Pacific Fleet and the Navy of the People's Liberation Army practiced the liberation of a seized vessel and convoy operations in a designated area of the East China Sea," a ministry spokesman said.
The Russian and Chinese navy servicemen will also practice detection, recognition and fire on seaborne targets and air defense.
The exercises involve twelve ships, including the missile cruiser Varyag, the destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, the torpedo boat Bystry, the large landing ship Admiral Nevelskoy, the sea tanker Ilim and the tugboat Kalar of Russia and the destroyers Zhengzhou, Ningbo and Harbin, the frigates Liuzhou and Yantai and the fleet replenishment ship Qiandaohu of China.
Meanwhile, the joint command of the exercises will set troop control tasks for the joint staff, which will practice the fulfillment of the seaborne operations protocol consistent with the joint command orders.