Russia says it has test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of ​​Japan

The Russian Defense Ministry said that Moscow had test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of ​​Japan.

On Tuesday, the ministry said two boats launched a mock missile attack on a mock enemy warship about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. The ministry said the target was successfully hit by two Moskit cruise missiles.

The Moskit, whose NATO reporting designation is SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile with conventional and nuclear warhead capability. The Soviet cruise missile is capable of flying at three times the speed of sound and has a range of 250 kilometers (155 miles).

It added that the exercises, which included warships and other naval aircraft, took place in Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of ​​Japan, but did not give more precise coordinates. The bay borders the Russian Pacific Fleet headquarters in Fukino and is about 700 kilometers (430 miles) from the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The US Navy’s Seventh Fleet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Japan reacted calmly to the missile exercises, which were conducted near Vladivostok, and not directly in the waters between the two countries. Tasuku Matsuki, the Japanese Foreign Ministry official in charge of Russia, said Tokyo does not plan to lodge a protest with Russia over the missile exercises, noting that its location — Peter the Great Bay — is considered to be the Russian coast, even though it faces the waters in between. the two countries.

“Overall, Japan is concerned about Russia’s increased military activities around the Japanese coasts and is watching them with great interest,” Matsuki said.

He said Russia had conducted missile exercises in that area in the past and issued early naval warnings. He said Japan was not in a position to comment on Russia’s intention to conduct the exercises.

Russian nuclear-capable Tu-95 bombers flew over the Sea of ​​Japan for several hours last week.

In September, Japan protested the multinational military exercises in the Russian-controlled Kuril Islands — which Japan claims to each other — and expressed concern about Russian and Chinese warships conducting shooting exercises in the Sea of ​​Japan.

Russia has also tested submarine-launched missiles in the Sea of ​​Japan last year.

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Associated Press writer Mary Yamaguchi contributed from Tokyo.