Russia announced it will hold naval exercises with Myanmar, the first in the two countries’ “recent history,” during a visit to the junta-ruled Southeast Asian nation by the head of the Russian Navy on Friday. This is reported by AFP.

Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Mykola Yevmenov, “started a working visit” to Myanmar, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

According to Moscow, his schedule includes, among other things, “participating in the opening ceremony of the first Russian-Burmese naval exercises in recent history” and visiting “warships” taking part.

The exact date of these military exercises has not been specified.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power from Suu Kyi’s government by force on February 1, 2021, detaining her and other officials and responding violently to pro-democracy protests and dissent, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.