More than 40 Russian vessels and 30-plus military planes and 20 helicopters took part in exercises in Crimea, with missile launches, practice bombings and landings by amphibious forces.
Thousands of miles away, a Russian and Chinese fleet sailed through the narrow Tsugaru Strait between mainland Japan and its northern island Hokkaido, putting Tokyo on high alert.
The imperious display comes amid soaring tensions after it emerged this week that China had tested a new hypersonic nuclear-capable missile, taking world powers by surprise with a fearsome technology capable of striking virtually anywhere on the planet.
Counterbalancing the threat posed by China is the new Aukus alliance forged by the US, UK and Australia last month.
Warships from those countries were this week sailing through the Bay of Bengal, led by the Royal Navy’s new flagship carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, on the fleet’s way back from a deployment in the South China Sea.
Washington on Monday said it was ‘watching closely’ after it was reported that China launched a new hypersonic missile in August, which experts warned indicated that Beijing’s arsenal was more advanced than previously thought.
With the world at battle stations, Putin launched a colossal military drill in the Black Sea on Tuesday, reigniting fears in the Ukraine that Russia could annex further territory in the east on the border with Crimea.
The drills – seen on a video from Defence Ministry TV channel Zvezda – involved simulated landings and are the latest in a succession of major military exercises ordered by Putin this year.
‘The coastal troops of the Black Sea Fleet worked out practical actions to secure anti-sabotage defence of a section of the coast and fought with naval assault groups and naval landing forces,’ said a Black Sea Fleet statement.
Among the ships taking part was the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, the Moskva.
‘Su-30SM fighters and Su-24M and Su-34 bombers conducted sorties to the target area at low and ultra-low altitudes operating outside the zone of visibility for radars and surface-to-air missile systems of the notional enemy’s warships,’ said Russia’s southern military district.
‘Su-30SM fighters conducted launches of Kh-31A anti-ship missiles from the maximum distance while bombers delivered strikes with high-explosive fragmentation bombs from an altitude of up to 600 meters (1,969ft).’
Separate footage from the Sea of Japan, showed 10 Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailing through a narrow 12-mile straight between the Japanese mainland and the northern island of Hokkaido.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Monday that the sailors performed over 20 different combat exercises, practised tactical manoeuvring and communications during the training missions.
During the practical stages of the exercise in the naval training grounds, servicemen worked out the tasks of mine defence with the execution of artillery fire at mock-ups of floating mines.