S. Africa Defends Joint Military Drills With Russia & China

South Africa's Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele defended the upcoming tri-nation naval war games to be held with Russia and China off the South African coast starting tomorrow despite widespread condemnation from the West.

• The so-called Mosi II exercises will be held off the seaports of Durban and Richards Bay from Friday until February 27, which means they will overlap with the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• "It's quite an interesting scene, especially if different countries come together to do that exercise. It actually shows that the globe is able to live in harmony together and so on," Gungubele told reporters.
• The Russian consulate in Cape Town tweeted that frigate Admiral Gorshkov is leaving the city harbour and heading to Durban for the drills. The arrival of a Russian warship armed with Zirkon hypersonic missiles was condemned by Cape Town Mayor.
• The South African government has argued that it had previously held similar joint military exercises with Western powers, such as France and the United States, and insisted that it has the right to pick partners for military drills.