The modern guided-missile frigate “Admiral Kasatonov” of the Russian Northern Fleet has arrived in the Baltic Sea, just a few days after the arrival of the destroyer “Admiral Levchenko”, according to the German newspaper “Kieler Nachrichten”.
This move comes amid the Kremlin’s threats to Europe with countermeasures due to sanctions against the Russian “shadow fleet”.
With the “Admiral Kasatonov”, Moscow is sending one of its most modern warships to the Baltic Sea.
The frigate, which only entered service in 2020, belongs to the Admiral Gorshkov class and, according to Russian information, can launch Kalibr and Zircon missiles. It had recently undertaken a mission to secure and escort Russian trucks in the Mediterranean and the English Channel.
Already at the end of July, Russia had transferred the destroyer “Admiral Levchenko” from the Northern Fleet to the Baltic Sea. The warship, over 160 meters long, has been in service since 1988 and was originally designed to hunt down submarines. It has air defense systems, torpedoes, artillery guns, as well as helicopters on board.
There has been no official information from Moscow regarding the reasons for this action, but Russia has been intensively using warships for months to escort tankers and cargo ships of the controversial “shadow fleet”.
Just a few days ago, Putin threatened European states that take action against Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
“The controls of Western states are nothing more than piracy and plunder,” he said, warning that Russia would respond with “appropriate measures.”/Top Channel