Tokyo's provocative policy against Moscow caused by Japan's struggle for the Kuril Islands, which the Japanese consider their territory, caused Russia to practice an attack on Tokyo not only from the air, but also from the sea.
On December 22, the Russian diesel-electric submarine Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky launched a Caliber cruise missile from the Sea of Japan. The attack was carried out to strike a training target, albeit from a large distance of about 1,000 kilometers.
The submarine traveled to the area of the mission and hit the target located on the tactical field of Surkum in Russia's Khabarovsk region from a distance of 1,000 kilometers.
Military observer Viktor Baranets noted on the air of Sputnik Radio that the successful launch of the missile from the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky submarine at a target located deep into the mainland showed that the submarine was capable of attacking both underwater, surface, and land targets.
According to experts, the missile was launched from such a long distance to let Japan know that Russian warships and submarines were prepared to launch attacks on Japanese army bases from very long distances.
"Russia's diesel-electric submarine, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, launched the Caliber (Kalibr) cruise missile from the Sea of Japan, which struck a coastal target at a distance of about 1,000 km. Unlike the US Navy, which counts on nuclear power, Russia has a fleet of both diesel and nuclear-powered submarines. Russia also has nuclear submarines for long-range ocean missions, and its fleet of diesel submarines operates in Europe and the Middle East,” The EurAsian Times said.