Northern Fleet detachment leaves Mediterranean sea
The detachment of ships and vessels of the Northern Fleet led by missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov enters the Atlantic Ocean, says press center of RF Defence Ministry.
Before leaving the Mediterranean Sea, the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov and the large anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov replenished fuel supplies from a medium sea tanker.
In the waters of the Atlantic, ships and vessels of the Northern Fleet will practice a number of planned exercises, their crews will continue to improve naval training.
A detachment of warships and support vessels of the Northern Fleet began the final stage of a long voyage - return to base. Their arrival in Severomorsk is expected in the first half of February.
Northern Fleet's missile cruiser "Marshal Ustinov" with escort of destroyer "Severomorsk" and auxiliary ships left the main base of the Northern Fleet Severomorsk on July 3 to participate in the Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg. After the parade, the crews of the cruiser and auxiliary ships took part in "Ocean Shield 2019" Navy exercise.
For two months, the ship operated in the Mediterranean Sea, where it conducted a series of exercises, visited Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. In the Atlantic Ocean, Russian sailors made business calls at the ports of Praia of the Republic of Cape Verde and Malabo Equatorial Guinea.
At the end of November, Northern Fleet sailors conducted the first ever joint Russian-Chinese-South African exercise on ensuring the safety of navigation and marine economic activity. It was attended by frigates of the Naval Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China "Weifang" and the Naval Forces of South Africa "Amatola", as well as auxiliary vessels of the Navy of South Africa.
In the first decade of January 2020 the cruiser participated in the joint Nothern and Black Sea Fleets exercise as the flagship in the Black sea. The Supreme commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin was observing the action of the exercise from the command post of the cruiser Anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov took part in the exercise.
Since leaving the main base of the Northern Fleet — Severomorsk — the cruiser has passed more than 37 thousand nautical miles.