Chinese warship joins Russian navy for Gulf of Finland exercises
- The Jiaozuo, a guided missile destroyer, had earlier taken part in a parade in St Petersburg to mark Russia’s navy day
Russia’s Tass news agency reported that the Jiaozuo, a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, took part in simulated anti-mine and search and rescue operations in the Gulf of Finland with the Russian corvette Soobrazitelny.
The Jiaozuo, accompanied by the Type 903A support ship Honghu,arrived in the Baltic 10 days ago.
One of the People’s Liberation Army’s advanced warships, the Jiaozou is comparable to the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke Class destroyers and is armed with hypersonic missiles.
The Gulf of Finland separates Finland and Estonia, both Nato member countries, though can also be accessed from St Petersburg. Finland, which has a 1,330km (830-mile) shared border with Russia, joined the alliance last year in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
