Russian weapons transport ship transits Japan's Tsugaru Strait

俄羅斯武器運輸船通過日本津輕海峽

Russian Navy launches 'extraordinary naval drills' near Japan as tensions rise over sanctions


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Russian Navy weapons transport ship was spotted prowling the waters off of Japan on Monday (March 14) as tensions rise over Tokyo's sanctions on Moscow.

Japan's Ministry of Defense (MOD) said that a Russian Navy armament transport ship capable of carrying missiles passed through the Tsugaru Strait on Monday and sailed westward from the Pacific Ocean into the Sea of Japan. Japan's Kyodo News reported that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force detected the ship about 70 kilometers east-northeast of Cape Shiriyazaki on the Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture at around 9 a.m. that day.

The armament transport ship features cranes on its deck that load missiles onto other ships or unload them ashore. From March 10-11, 10 warships, including Udaloy-class destroyers from the Russian Navy, also passed through the Tsugaru Strait, which divides Japan's largest island Honshu from the northernmost main island of Hokkaido.

Early Monday morning six warships, including a submarine from the Russian Navy, passed through the Soya Strait, which divides the southern part of the Russian island of Sakhalin from the northern part of Hokkaido. Japan's MOD stated that it is currently analyzing Russia's intentions.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hiroichi said at a press conference on Tuesday (March 15) that “The Russian military has been carrying out extraordinary naval drills on a large scale in the Sea of Okhotsk and other areas since February in conjunction with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and the six vessels are believed to have participated in the drills,” said Matsuno, according to the Japan Times.

Japan has joined Western nations in imposing stinging sanctions on Russian banks and oligarchs over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tokyo has also allocated US$200 million for military aid to Ukraine in the form of bulletproof vests and helmets.