This recent patrol marks the first time the Russian Navy and China’s PLAN carried out a joint submarine patrol.
In recent years, Russia and China have conducted joint military operations on land, sea, and in the air. Earlier this month, the two sides reportedly expanded their military cooperation underwater as well.
According to the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet, Russian and Chinese diesel-electric submarines carried out their first-ever joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean. The Russian Navy’s Project 636.3 Kilo-class attack submarine Volkhov (B-603) participated in the patrol, alongside an unnamed submarine from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
“The underwater patrol began in early August, after the completion of the Russian-Chinese exercise ‘Maritime Interaction – 2025’ in the Sea of Japan,” the Pacific Fleet announced via the Telegram social messaging app on Wednesday. “The Pacific Fleet and the PLA Navy submarine set out on an agreed patrol route in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. After practicing joint patrol tasks, the submarines headed to their bases.”
The patrol reportedly covered more than 2,000 nautical miles and was supported by the Russian Pacific Fleet’s Project 20380 Steregushchiy-class corvette Gromkiy and the Project R-5757 rescue tug Fotiy Krylov. The diesel-electric submarine Volkhov was commissioned in October 2020 and has been in service with the Russian Navy since early 2022.
According to a report from Russian state news agency TASS, the main goal of the mission was to strengthen naval cooperation between Beijing and Moscow further, and to “ensure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” while protecting the two nations’ respective economic facilities.
Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Chinese state-run Global Times that the patrol also demonstrated the “high level of strategic mutual trust between China and Russia.”
Military Ties Between Russia and China Are Growing Stronger
Russia and China have carried out numerous joint exercises and patrols. In 2021, the navies of the two nations conducted the first joint naval patrol in the western Pacific. It consisted of a flotilla of 10 warships, and “made a circumnavigation of Japan’s main island,” CNN reported.
Sino-Russian joint patrols have taken place every year since 2021. However, this recent patrol marks the first time the Russian Navy and China’s PLAN carried out a joint submarine patrol. It followed a simulated submarine rescue mission that was part of joint exercises carried out earlier in August.
Nor have joint operations in the Pacific been limited to the sea. Roughly a year ago, Moscow and Beijing conducted a joint bomber patrol mission near the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). In July 2024, two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting name “Bear”) long-range bombers were accompanied by two Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Xi’an H-6 bombers. The latter is Beijing’s primary bomber aircraft, a license-built version of the Soviet-designed Tupolev Tu-16.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) responded by deploying fighter jets from the United States and Canada to intercept the aircraft.
Russian Submarines Are a Serious Threat to the US Navy
Despite the generally poor state of Russia’s surface fleet—which consists mainly of corvettes and frigates, apart from a derelict aircraft carrier and a Cold War-era nuclear-powered battlecruiser that has been undergoing a refit longer than its past service history—the Kremlin’s submarine fleet is considered a serious threat.
Efforts were underway earlier this week to track one or more Russian submarines believed to be shadowing the movement of the US Navy’s nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which has been operating in the North Sea.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
