As part of the bilateral Joint Sea 2025 exercise, an attack submarine of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China arrived in Russia a few days ago to take part in combined naval operations with the Russian Navy. The activities, which began last Friday, will continue until August 5, with the Sea of Japan, off the coast of the Vladivostok region, serving as the operational area.
The central objective of this new edition of Joint Sea 2025 is to strengthen military cooperation and interoperability between both naval forces, with a particular focus on air defense operations, anti-submarine warfare, maritime route protection, convoy escort, and combined command and control actions. The activities were organized into three operational phases.
As for the participating units, the Russian Navy deployed the Udaloy-class destroyer Admiral Tributs (564), the corvette RFS Gromkiy (335), the diesel-electric submarine RFS Volkhov (B-603) of the Kilo II class, and the rescue ship Igor Belousov. On the Chinese side, the PLAN deployed the Type 052D guided missile destroyers Shaoxing (134) and Urumqi (118), the Type 903 comprehensive replenishment ship Qiandaohu, the submarine rescue ship Xihu (841), fixed-wing aircraft, shipborne helicopters, and personnel from the Marine Corps.
Confirmation of the Chinese Navy Submarine
Until the arrival of the Chinese units in Russia, the participation of a Chinese Navy submarine had not been officially confirmed. However, in recent days, a series of videos and photographs released by the Russian Navy confirmed the arrival of the Great Wall 210 submarine, a Kilo-class (Project 636) attack submarine, as part of the PLAN detachment that arrived in Vladivostok.
Previously, there had been indications of a possible deployment of Chinese submarines toward Russia due to the detection of the submarine rescue ship Xihu (841), of the Dakai-class, by the Japan Self-Defense Forces as it passed through the Tsushima Strait. The navigation of the Xihu — a modern support unit recently commissioned — was at the time considered a sign of Chinese submarine operations in the region, something now confirmed by the arrival of the attack submarine. This was also the first time a vessel of this class sailed through waters near Japan, marking a new precedent.
These kinds of coordinated deployments once again demonstrate the growing expeditionary capability of the Chinese Navy and its willingness to project power in sensitive maritime environments, adding a new chapter to the increasing military presence of the Asian Giant in the Western Pacific. It is also important to note that once Joint Sea 2025 concludes, some units from both navies will begin the sixth combined maritime patrol in the region.
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