"Today, a trilateral naval exercise with the participation of warships and support vessels of the Russian navy, the Chinese People's Liberation Army navy, and the South African National Defense Forces ended in the Indian Ocean," the ministry said in a statement.
As part of the drills that kicked off last Saturday, warships from the three countries fired artillery at a sea target and practiced freeing a captured ship with hostages, as well as providing assistance to a ship in distress.
The Chinese Defense Ministry said that the drills would further advance defense and security cooperation between the BRICS countries. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, in turn, criticized the South African government for participating in the exercises and accused it of "adopting the experience of the Russian military machine."