It is one of the latest additions to the Russian navy, inaugurated by Vladimir Putin in December 2023. In the midst of the war with Ukraine, a warship, the frigate Amiral Golovko came to sail off the French coast to carry out military maneuvers. A passage through the Channel corridor, therefore off the coast of Normandy, relayed by several press agencies.
According to the press release from the Northern Fleet cited Tuesday November 12, 2024 by the Tass and Ria Novosti agencies, « Amiral Golovko » has carried out exercises in recent days simulating drone attacks from the air and sea and the fight against terrorism.
Show the Russian flag
The training, for its media part, is also intended to send a message to those who would like to attack this building. Several Russian ships have already been the target of successful Ukrainian attacks in the Black Sea.
The other objectives of this deployment are to “show the Russian flag and ensure Russian naval presence in operationally important areas of the World Ocean”, specifies the press release. Because it is indeed a deployment. The frigate does not move alone but accompanied by its floating “fuel station”, the tanker Vyazma. Which gives him a lot of autonomy. “The Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Golovko has completed its crossing of the English Channel and is currently continuing missions in areas of the Atlantic Ocean”indicates the Russian navy.
Before its entry into service, Sergei Shoigu, the Minister of Defense at the time, had suggested that it would be equipped with Zircon, new generation missiles, called “hypersonic”, capable of reaching the speed of Mach 9, i.e. more than 10,000 kilometers per hour, towards naval or land targets. Vladimir Putin sees him as one of the centerpieces of the Russian arsenal.
