14 Russian Warships Enter Sea of Japan Ahead of Major Military Exercises - USNI News

A group of 14 Russian Navy ships transited through La Pérouse Strait from the Western Pacific Ocean into the Sea of Japan ahead of Russian military drills scheduled to start next week, the Japan Ministry of Defense said on Monday.

On Saturday, four Russian ships were sighted sailing westwards in an area 161 miles east-northeast of La Pérouse Strait. The release form the MoD identified the ship as destroyer RFS Marshal Shaposhnikov (543) and corvettes RFS Gremyashchiy (337), RFS Sovershennyy (333) and RFS Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov (339). On Sunday, ten more Russian ships were sighted sailing westwards in an area 50 miles east-northeast of La Pérouse Strait. Those ships included corvettes RFS Metel (323), RFS MPK-221 (354), RFS R-14 (924), RFS R-18 (937), RFS R-11 (940) and RFS R-19 (978), missile range instrumentation ship RFS Marshal Krylov (331), a Dubna class replenishment ship, hospital ship Irtysh and a Sliva class tug.

The ships subsequently sailed west into the Sea of Japan trailed by the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) fast attack craft JS Kumataka (PG-827) and P-3C Orions Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) of Fleet Air Wing 2 station at JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base, Honshu.