He called the ships that Russia sent to Iran "serious".
Moscow. January 18. INTERFAX - The naval exercises that Russia, Iran and China are planning to hold may be a response to the complex geopolitical situation in the world, retired Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the General Staff of the Russian Navy, told Interfax on Tuesday.
"Nothing is working out with Europe right now, the United States dominates there. It is good that relations are developing with countries that are coming to meet us. And these exercises may be a reaction to a difficult international situation," Kravchenko said.
The press service of the Russian Pacific Fleet reported earlier on Tuesday that the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the Varyag missile cruiser, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs and the large sea tanker Boris Butoma made a call at the Iranian port of Chahbehar (Gulf of Oman). According to the report, Russia, Iran and China are planning to hold joint naval exercises. In Chahbehar, a delegation of the Russian Navy will take part in a planning conference on these maneuvers.
Kravchenko said that this time Russia sent powerful warships to Iran. "These are serious ships. They are not new, but they have enough power. These are ships of the first rank. We are raising the level of the ships participating in the exercises," the admiral said.
Russia, Iran and China plan to conduct naval exercises in early 2022 in the northern Indian Ocean.
In December 2019, the three countries conducted joint naval exercises for the first time in the Gulf of Oman and the northern waters of the Indian Ocean. Iranian Navy Commander Hossein Khanzadi stated that the countries agreed to conduct naval exercises every year. A detachment of ships of the Russian Baltic Fleet participated in the maneuvers in December 2019 - the patrol ship Yaroslav the Wise, the tanker Yelnya and the sea tug Viktor Konetsky.
