JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Russia, China and South Africa launched naval exercises off South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast on Friday, bringing the three countries closer together amid Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and China’s strained ties with its western neighbors. demonstrate a strong relationship.
Called Mosi II, her 10-day exercise coincides with her one-year anniversary on February 24 after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov arrived in Cape Town earlier this week, on the side of which he marked the letters Z and V. These letters represent Russian weapons on the Ukrainian front line and are used in Russia as patriotic symbols.
A small yacht with a Ukrainian flag protested past a Russian frigate in Cape Town harbor. South African protesters against the exercises are expected to demonstrate outside the Russian consulate in Cape Town on Friday.
Admiral Gorshkov’s arrival is of considerable controversy as he is armed with the latest Zircon hypersonic missile, a weapon Russia says can penetrate any anti-missile defense to hit targets at sea and on land.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the warships will test Zircon missiles during joint naval exercises. The test will be the missile’s first launch in an international exercise.
The joint naval exercises also come at a time when China’s relations with Washington are strained after a Chinese balloon sailed over the United States and was eventually shot down by the United States.
The naval exercises will be conducted from Durban and Richards Her Bay, ports in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Media coverage of the exercises was limited.
South Africa has faced criticism for participating in domestic exercises. The opposition Democratic Alliance said it showed South Africa was not neutral in Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The South African Defense Force simply refers to naval exercises with China and Russia as “multinational maritime exercises.” The naval exercises are aimed at sharing “operational skills and knowledge” and will “strengthen the already thriving ties between South Africa, Russia and China,” the military said in a statement.
At least 350 personnel from the South African Navy and other military branches are expected to participate in the exercises, according to the government. Prior to this, the three countries held the Moshi I naval exercise in Cape Town in 2019.
South Africa is one of many African countries to maintain friendly relations with Moscow and abstain from voting on a UN resolution condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia and the United States have sought South Africa’s help since the war in Ukraine began. This demonstrates Pretoria’s influence as a strategic partner on the continent. These two superpowers of hers are vying for influence in Africa, and have sent high-ranking officials to the continent on diplomatic missions in recent months.
US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Brinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, recently visited South Africa to deepen diplomatic, political and economic ties. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visits the White House in September 2022.
During a visit to South Africa last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Western countries’ actions to support Ukraine and underscored Russia’s strong ties with South Africa and the rest of the continent.
