MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/. The Russian missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov and warships from the South African and Chinese navies will conduct artillery firings during joint drills in the Indian Ocean, the press office of Russia’s Northern Fleet reported on Wednesday.

The ceremony of commencing the drills was held at the port of Richards Bay in South Africa on February 22. In addition to the Admiral Gorshkov, the Northern Fleet’s medium sea tanker Kama represents Russia in the trilateral naval exercise. China is represented by the frigate Rizhao, the destroyer Huainan and the support ship Kekexilihu in the joint naval maneuvers. The South African Navy is represented by the frigate Mendi.

"The active phase of the drills will run on February 25-27. The ships will conduct joint artillery firings and tactical maneuvering at sea. The sailors from the three countries will practice operations by inspection groups to inspect and free a captured vessel, render assistance to a ship in distress and repel an enemy aerial attack," the press office said in a statement.

The ceremony of starting the naval maneuvers was attended by Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Navy Vice Admiral Li Yujie and Deputy Chief of the South African Joint Command Rear Admiral Bubele Mhlana.

Admiral Yevmenov greeted the participants in the exercise, saying that the Russian Navy was profoundly interested in enhancing naval cooperation between Russian, Chinese, and South African sailors.

"The event confirms the high level of cooperation between our countries. This fact points to our profound interest in bolstering naval cooperation aimed at ensuring security in the World Ocean and countering new threats at sea," the Russian Navy chief said.