MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. The Northern Fleet’s multipurpose frigate Admiral Gorshkov armed with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles will call at the Syrian port of Tartus and hold drills with ships of the Russian Navy’s standing Mediterranean taskforce in its long-distance deployment, a source close to the Navy told TASS on Friday.
“Next week, the Northern Fleet’s naval group comprising the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the sea tanker Akademik Pashin will call at the Syrian port of Tartus where the Navy’s logistics support base is located,” the source said.
After replenishing supplies and having a short rest, the Northern Fleet’s sailors will conduct drills with Russian ships making part of the Navy’s standing Mediterranean taskforce, the source said.
TASS has no official confirmation of this information yet.
Long-distance deployment of Northern Fleet ships
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on July 24 that the Northern Fleet’s naval group had transited the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea. As the ministry specified, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov will carry out a number of military-diplomatic missions in the Mediterranean Sea and practice interoperability with other Russian ships. Business calls at the ports of Mediterranean countries are also scheduled, it said.
The frigate Admiral Gorshkov embarked on its long-distance deployment on May 17. The objectives of the long-distance deployment are to demonstrate the Russian naval flag and ensure naval presence in operatically important areas of the World Ocean. The Russian frigate has already called at the ports of Havana (Cuba) and La Guaira (Venezuela).
The Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov is the Project 22350 lead multi-purpose frigate designed to operate in distant waters, effectively fight enemy naval, aerial and submerged forces and deliver strikes on ground, coastal and surface targets at a distance of over 1,000 km.
The warship was built at the Severnaya Verf Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation) and joined the Russian Navy in July 2018. The frigate was upgraded in 2021 to carry Tsirkon hypersonic weapons.
