MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Russia made it known to the Australian embassy that it was not happy about Australian troops taking part in military drills in Hokkaido near the Russian border, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"On December 15, a stern protest was lodged with the Australian Embassy in Moscow over the participation of the Australian military contingent in a trilateral exercise involving the United States, Japan and Australia, Yama Sakura 85, on the island of Hokkaido in the vicinity of the Russian border," the Russian diplomatic agency said as it warned Canberra against moving toward "a dangerous escalation of tensions in Northeast Asia and the entire Asia-Pacific region."

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, it made it clear to the Australian side that conducting demonstrative military activity near Russia’s Far Eastern border is not okay.