Five Russian ships have arrived in Myanmar to take part in maritime exercises with the military junta, which has been in power since 2021, Burmese state media announced today.
Four corvettes and a logistics ship from the Russian Pacific Fleet docked on Sunday at Thilawa harbour, near Yangon (south), to ‘take part in the second Myanmar-Russia joint maritime security exercise’, reported the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, published by the Burmese Ministry of Information.
The Russian ships will carry out exercises corresponding to ‘a harbour phase’, the newspaper added, without giving details.
On Sunday, the junta announced that it was organizing a maritime security exercise in the waters of the northern Andaman Sea until Thursday and advised aircraft and fishing boats not to cross the area.
The two navies have already organized a joint exercise in the same sea in November 2023.
The junta enjoys diplomatic support from Moscow, which also supplies it with weapons. The junta's air force includes Sukhoi Su-30, MiG-29 and Yak aircraft, analysts said.
The junta's leader, Min Aung Hlain, who took power following the 2021 coup, has visited Russia several times and met with Vladimir Putin in 2022.
Moscow also supports the junta's plan to hold elections in 2025. In contrast, the junta has defended Russia's invasion of Ukraine, describing it as ‘justified’.
