March 18 (Reuters) – Russia, China and Iran have completed a tripartite naval exercise involving shelling of sea and air targets in the Arabian Sea, the Russian defense ministry said on Saturday.
Exercises took place off the Iranian port of Chabahar as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow for a three-day state visit starting Monday.
Russia continues military exercises with partners, especially China, despite the strain on its military from a year-long war in Ukraine that has failed to make significant progress since last summer.
The Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the Chinese destroyer Nanjing took part in drills on Thursday and Friday, according to the Defense Ministry.
The Gorshkov, carrying Russia’s latest-generation Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, also took part in joint naval exercises with China and South Africa last month.
(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan, Editing by Gareth Jones)
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