Chinese navy delegation meets Northern Fleet in Murmansk
Russia’s Northern Fleet was engaged in a large-scale nuclear weapons exercise when a Chinese naval delegation arrived on the Kola Peninsula.
A meeting between representatives of the two countries’ naval medical services took place on 21 May 2026, according to the Northern Fleet’s newspaper Na Strazhe Zapolyarya.
The talks were held against the backdrop of an ongoing nuclear weapons exercise that reportedly involved more than 64,000 personnel, 140 aircraft, 73 warships, and 13 submarines—among them eight strategic missile submarines. The exercise may be one of Russia’s largest nuclear weapons drills in over three decades.
At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin was returning to Moscow following meetings with Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The Chinese delegation to Murmansk was led by Ju Jintao, a first-rank captain of the People’s Liberation Army’s Naval Medical Department. At least five additional naval representatives were part of the delegation, as shown in photos shared by Na Strazhe Zapolyarya.
On the Russian side, the talks were led by Colonel Igor Mosyagin, head of the Russian Naval Medical Directorate. Mosyagin is a colonel in the Russian Medical Corps, as well as a professor and doctor of medical sciences.
The meeting, which marked the start of a three-day visit, took place at the Azimut Hotel in Murmansk. The visit reportedly includes tours of several sites operated by the Northern Fleet.
According to the Russian Navy, the naval representatives will exchange expertise and promote various scientific developments in maritime medicine.
During a round-table event, representatives from both countries were divided into several groups. Junior specialists received training in providing trauma care during the initial stages of medical treatment, while experienced surgeons visited the Northern Fleet’s main hospital, where specialists demonstrated a proprietary method for providing surgical care to seriously injured servicemen, the Northern Fleet reported.
A vast number of Russian navy personnel have been either killed or seriously injured in the war of aggression against Ukraine. Hospitals across Russia, including those of the Northern Fleet on the Kola Peninsula, are treating the wounded.
This is not the first time Chinese naval representatives have visited the Kola Peninsula and Russia’s Northern Fleet. In 2018, Chinese Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong met with then-commander of the Russian Northern Fleet, Vice-Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, in Severomorsk to discuss cooperation. In 2024, the two countries’ navies signed a memorandum of understanding on search and rescue operations.
