Russia and China hold anti-submarine practices after Trump’s Nuclear Weapon announcement

The Chinese Navy's rescue vessel Xihu took part in joint search and rescue drills on August 5, 2025.
Reuters

The Russian and Chinese naval vessels have practiced pursuing and destroying an enemy submarine in the Sea of Japan, Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday.

Moscow and Beijing have already conducted joint air patrols in the Asia Pacific region since 2019, Interfax announced, citing Russia’s chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, in 2022.

Russia’s large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs and the corvette Gromky, together with the Chinese destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, carried out live-fire actions. During the final phase of the exercises, crews has practiced searching for and neutralizing a mock enemy submarine, Interfax added.

The days after, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had moved two U.S. nuclear submarines closer to Russia.

His submarine order last Friday was made in response to what he called "highly provocative" remarks by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.

In a Truth Social post, Trump shared that he had “ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that”.  

The president did not specify what type of submarines were being moved or where to, and the Pentagon usually reveals little about any of its subs’ movements.

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