Russian Destroyer Sails to Mediterranean Amidst Middle Eastern Tensions
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Sunday that the missile destroyer "Marshal Shaposhnikov" sailed to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal as part of planned exercises, as reported by the Reuters agency. The statement is undoubtedly related to the developments in the Middle East.
"The crew of the unit is performing the assigned tasks. In the Mediterranean Sea, the frigate will operate according to the previously established plan of combat exercises," reads the communiqué.
The missile destroyer "Marshal Shaposhnikov" is part of the Russian Pacific Fleet. Its appearance can be linked to the escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran.
Designed to fight submarines
Among the Russian ships, the destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov was identified. This unit is significantly older and smaller than the Chinese one. The ship, belonging to the Udaloy class, was launched in 1984. The destroyer is approximately 163 metres long and displaces about 8,300 tonnes.
Ships of this type were designed with submarine warfare in mind, and their armament was dedicated to this task. In addition to two 100-mm guns, as well as artillery and missile anti-aircraft systems, the ship's main armament until recently comprised depth charge launchers and RBU-6000 Smerch-2 anti-submarine rocket launchers.
These are modified missile projectiles based on the anti-ship P-120 Malachit system. They aim to deliver the universal UGMT-1 torpedo, equipped with a 185 kg warhead, to the target area. The missiles' range is approximately 90 kilometres.
Russia's modernisation allowed for the installation of 12 vertical launch systems, which can launch Kalibr, Onyx, or Zircon missiles.
