Russia called on South Korea Friday to abandon an impending military drill in the Yellow Sea, saying that an escalation in tensions with North Korea has to imperatively be avoided, reported dpa.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Alexey Borodavkin told South Korean and United States ambassadors that Russia is "deeply concerned" about the situation.
A similar exercise had led to an artillery fire exchange between North and South Korea on November 23, Borodavkin noted.
North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong island killed two soldiers and two civilians, while injuring 18 others. Russia had sharply condemned the incident and had called on North Korea to cooperate with the United Nations.
The US-led ceasefire commission of the UN command in South Korea is to observe the renewed live-fire drills, which are to held on Yeonpyeong some time between Saturday and Tuesday.
The navies of South Korea and its ally the United States have conducted several maritime drills around the peninsula since November's incident, over repeated objections from the North.