Russia and China to hold series of military exercises this week. They will be a symbol of the deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing, as well as the Kremlin’s desire to create the impression that it is doing “business as usual”, despite heavy losses in the war against Ukraine..

The Financial Times writes about this, recalling that the Russian-Chinese exercises " They are held every four years in the Russian Far East. The previous time, in 2018, 300,000 military personnel from China, the Russian Federation and Mongolia participated in them.. The current maneuvers are especially symbolic against the backdrop of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine for the seventh month..

Western defense officials and analysts say the exercise will illustrate the " They will also highlight the Kremlin's ability to maintain ties with allies outside the West, including Belarus and India.. The military of these countries will also participate in the exercises. Beijing has already stressed that its participation in the Vostok exercises has nothing to do with “the current international and regional situation.”. The last time Russia and China held joint military exercises was last year.. Then Washington did not attach any importance to them..

An unnamed Western defense adviser told the Financial Times that the very name of the exercise " They serve as proof of Russian support for Beijing at a time when Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, angering China.. Putin called Pelosi's trip a "

“Russia lost in the information war in the West. And Putin now wants to show the East that Russian life goes on as usual.. Like, no matter what happens in Ukraine, Russia is strong and will win,” the source said..

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To demonstrate that strength, last week two Russian naval convoys passed through the La Perouse Strait that separates Russia and Japan.. This was confirmed by the Tokyo Ministry of Defense, suggesting that Russian warships were sent to the exercises.. At the same time, three-quarters of the Russian army is already participating in the war against Ukraine.. Analysts say Russian-Chinese maneuvers will be a virtual " Their cancellation would send an unwanted signal. And conducting exercises will not bring any strategic benefit..

“Military exercises “Vostok” is a regular event. But tonight they don't make any sense. Almost all combat-ready units of Russia take part in the war against Ukraine. It's just a pretense that everything is in order,"

Ben Barry, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, believes that Moscow is trying to " Even some Russian analysts have noticed the military failures and shortcomings of the Russian weapons touted during the International Arms Show in Moscow this month.. Putin boasted at the opening of the exhibition that Russian weapons are “a decade ahead” of competitors, and also spoke of a willingness to share technology with allies..

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However, Ruslan Pukhov, a military analyst and member of the public council of the Russian Ministry of Defense, criticized the Russian army, emphasizing that it “does not have enough high-precision weapons and modern weapons” on the fronts in Ukraine..

“This means that in artillery duels, the Ukrainians often beat us,” Pukhov said in a recent interview that turned out to be very candid, which is not typical for Russia..

Analysts admit that some samples of Russian weapons can be compared with Western counterparts. In particular, this applies to S-400 missiles.. However, the lack of Western components undermines the capabilities of the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation.

“Russia has been losing defense export opportunities for several years,” Luzin said, adding that the Russian military-industrial complex has been “in a deep crisis for at least six years and will not withstand the current pressure of sanctions.”.