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Photo from Yoruk Isik’s Twitter
The Severomorsk was pictured passing through the Bosphorus Strait, producing a trail of smoke.
Stronger and bolder Russian naval power in BlackSea: #ВМФ NF Сф Udaloy class Severomorsk, armed with SA-N9, SS-N14 & torpedoes, transited Bosphorus. Classified as an Anti-Submarine Warfare destroyer, 619 still retains an inherent Anti-Ship capability. My pix via @reuterspictures pic.twitter.com/cifg151Zeh
— Yörük Işık (@YorukIsik) January 9, 2019
Between late September and mid-December 2018, the warship traveled through the Indian Ocean, as well as the Gulf of Aden and the Red and Arabian Seas, “on missions to combat piracy and ensuring security of civilian shipping,” the press service said. The vessel was in the Mediterranean on New Year’s Day and Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7.
The warship reportedly visited a number of foreign ports on military diplomatic missions, participated in Russian-Pakistani anti-piracy drills in the Indian Ocean, and then took part in Russia’s own inter-fleet maneuvers in the Mediterranean.
The Severomorsk is the first large Russian ocean-going warship to enter the region since Russia invaded and occupied the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014, said Andrii Klymenko, the chief editor of the Black Sea News media outlet.
The Severomorsk, a 7480-ton destroyer was launched in late 1985 under the name Simferopol, but was renamed in early 1996. It is considered one of the best vessels of its type in Russia’s Northern Fleet.
Its passage through the Bosphorus Strait took place just three days after the U.S. Navy dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry, entered the Black Sea on Jan. 6 and later sailed to the Romanian port of Constanta for three-days of joint maneuvers with Romanian forces.
Tensions remain high in the Kerch Strait region after Russia attacked and seized three Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea.
Twenty-four sailors were taken hostage and are now detained in Moscow.
