As we had anticipated, after about 4 months of presence in the Mediterranean, the Admiral Gorshkov (454) frigate, which left Murmansk in early January, is returning to Russia.
The ship, armed with hypersonic missiles, was supposed to be the “game-changer” in the Mediterranean, where the Russian fleet had (and still is) reduced to the bare minimum.
Instead, the frigate limited itself to carrying out some escort missions for Russian cargo ships sailing between the Black Sea and Tartus, but did not carry out any “long-range” missions, staying well away from the USS Geralrd Ford carrier strike group. A propaganda presence, therefore, which has shown that the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean is no longer able to pose a threat, even theoretical, to the NATO forces present here.
With the departure of the Admiral Gorshkov (which crossed the Strait of Gibraltar this morning with the tanker Vyazma), Russia no longer has any “major” units in the Mediterranean. There are only two corvettes and one conventional submarine present, along with other auxiliary units (including a spy ship).
Additional details about the Admiral Gorshkov frigate
- Lead ship of the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates, which are the newest class of frigates in the Russian Navy.
- Armed with a variety of weapons, including hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and torpedoes.
- Displacement of 4,500 tons and a length of 135 meters.
- Crewed by 210 sailors.