Chinese and Russian navy representatives meet in Murmansk during Putin’s Beijing visit

Representatives of the Chinese and Russian navies met in Murmansk on May 21, according to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, citing the Barents Observer. The talks were held against the backdrop of a major Russian nuclear exercise.

Russia’s large-scale military drill reportedly involved more than 64,000 troops, 140 aircraft, 73 warships, and 13 submarines – including eight strategic missile submarines. The Barents Observer described the exercise as potentially one of Russia’s largest nuclear drills in over three decades.

The naval delegation talks coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s return to Moscow after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

The Chinese delegation arriving in Murmansk was led by a senior captain from the medical department of the Chinese navy. Photographs published by the Russian Northern Fleet’s newspaper Na Strazhe Zapolyarya showed at least five other naval representatives in the group.

According to the Russian navy, the two sides are exchanging expertise during a three-day visit that reportedly includes visits to the Northern Fleet’s main hospital. A large number of Russian navy personnel have been killed or seriously wounded in the war against Ukraine, with the wounded being treated in hospitals across Russia, including those of the Northern Fleet on the Kola Peninsula.

The Barents Observer noted that Chinese navy representatives previously visited Russia’s Northern Fleet in 2018.