The island’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that Taiwan had detected two Russian warships off the coast, and responded by sending boats and aircraft to track the Russian movements.
The ministry said in a statement that the Russian frigates were “detected sailing from north to south in the waters” off the east coast of Taiwan at 23:00 on Tuesday (15:00 in Lisbon).
The ministry said Taiwan’s armed forces were monitoring the situation and responded by deploying planes and boats and activating land-based missile systems.
For months, Taiwan has recorded Chinese planes and warships circling the island daily, but the presence of Russian ships is unusual.
“A detachment of warships from the Pacific Fleet entered the Philippine Sea after passing through the South China Sea,” also known as the South China Sea, Russian news agency Interfax reported.
According to Interfax, the boats performed various maneuvers, including a “simulated sea battle to repel a missile attack from the sea of an imaginary enemy.”
Like the United States, a key ally of Taipei, and many European countries, Taiwan has imposed sanctions on Moscow since its invasion of Ukraine, especially in the export of computer and machinery components, a sector in which the island stands out.
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