Russian Navy fires supersonic missiles in the Sea of Japan

Europe, News March 28, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Russian Navy test-fired supersonic anti-ship missiles at mock targets in the Sea of Japan on March 28, 2023. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that the test took place in the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan, but it did not give more precise coordinates.

“In the waters of the Sea of Japan, missile ships of the Pacific Fleet fired Moskit cruise missiles at a mock enemy sea target,” Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

“The target, located at a distance of about 100 kilometers, was successfully hit by a direct hit from two Moskit cruise missiles,” the statement added.

Russian Navy fired the P-270 Moskit missile, also known as the SS-N-22 Sunburn missiles, during the tests. P-270 Moskit is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile of Soviet origin that can destroy a ship within a range of up to 120 kilometers.

In response to Russia’s missile test and increasing military presence in the Sea of Japan, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said that his country would stay vigilant against Moscow’s military operations. He also added that no damage had been reported on the Japanese side after the missile launches.

“As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Russian forces are also becoming more active in the Far East, including Japan’s vicinities,” Hayashi said in a press conference. Japan’s defense ministry gave no immediate response to Russia’s missile test.

The test from the Russian Navy in the Sea of Japan comes only one week after Moscow deployed a division of its Bastion coastal defense missile systems in Paramushir, one of the Kuril islands near Japan. Russia plans to reinforce its defense posture in the region after accusing the U.S. of expanding its Asia-Pacific presence.

One week prior to the deployment of the coastal defense system in Paramushir, Russian strategic bomber planes, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, flew over the Sea of Japan for more than seven hours in what Moscow said was a “planned flight”.

*^{Russia’s Moskit cruise missile 3M80 (3M80E), designed to destroy surface ships and vehicles from the ship’s strike groups. (Image Credit: Missilery.info)}*

Japan is a close ally of the U.S. and is about to host the G7 meeting in May 2023. In the wake of the regional and global security environment, Japan is deviating from its conventional pacificist defense strategy and increasing its focus on modernizing its military capabilities. Japan has been actively modernizing its military and plans to increase its long-range strike capabilities.

Upon being asked about Russia’s increasing nuclear threats and particularly its plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Hayashi said Japan condemned the move and demanded Russia and Belarus to stop “such an action that would further increase tensions”.