ロシアのフリゲート艦、南ア入港　中国と３か国で合同演習実施へ

【ケープタウンＡＦＰ＝時事】南アフリカ・ケープタウンに１３日、ロシア海軍のフリゲート艦が入港した。ロシアによるウクライナ侵攻開始から１年が迫る中、１７日から中国、南アとの合同軍事演習が予定されており、物議を醸している。（写真は、ケープタウンの港に泊まるロシア海軍のフリゲート艦「アドミラル・ゴルシコフ」）
　在ケープタウン・ロシア領事館はツイッターに、フリゲート艦「アドミラル・ゴルシコフ」の写真を「ダーバンに向かっている」とのコメントを添えて投稿した。
　３か国の合同軍事演習「モシ」は２７日まで、ダーバンとリチャーズベイ沖で実施する。「モシ」はツワナ語で「煙」を意味する。
　南アからは３５０人以上が参加する。３か国が合同軍事演習を行うのは今回で２回目。
　２４日はウクライナ侵攻開始から１年に当たる。南アは中立を保ちたいとして、ロシアによるウクライナ侵攻を非難していない。
　南ア最大野党「民主同盟」の議員はＡＦＰに対し、アドミラル・ゴルシコフは演習後、黒海に向かいウクライナ侵攻に参加すると指摘。南アが侵攻の共犯と見なされる懸念があるとし、「ロシアのプロパガンダショーに引っ張り込まれた」と演習を非難した。
　ＡＦＰは南アのロシア領事館と大使館にコメントを求めたが、回答は得られなかった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/02/14-16:36）

A Russian military frigate docked in Cape Town harbour on Monday ahead of controversial military drills with South Africa and China, coming as Moscow is about to mark one year since its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian consulate in Cape Town tweeted a photo of the ship, the Admiral Gorshkov, in the harbour, saying it was on its way to Durban where it will take part in joint... drills.
The exercises dubbed Mosi, which means smoke in the local Tswana language, are scheduled for February 17 to 27 off the port cities of Durban and Richards Bay.
They will coincide with the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
More than 350 South African armed forces will take part in the exercises with an aim of sharing operational skills and knowledge with Russia and China, the South Africa military said last month, the second such exercises between the three naval forces.
The Zircon missile system on the Russian frigate has no equivalent, President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying last month at the launch of the warship for a training mission in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea.
I am sure that such powerful weapons will make it possible to reliably protect Russia from potential external threats, Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.
South Africa has refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine which has largely isolated Moscow on the international scene, saying it wants to stay neutral.
South Africa's largest opposition group, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has denounced the joint drills.
This vessel will be sailing towards the Black Sea and taking part in the invasion against Ukraine, said Kobus Marais, a DA member of parliament with oversight of party's stance on defence, told AFP.
That can very easily make South Africa complicit in these war crimes, he said. We are drawn into the propaganda show of Russia.
The Russian consulate and embassy in South Africa did not respond to an AFP request for comment.