Admiral Gorshkov frigate with "zirconians" on board "in a distant maritime campaign" - Putin

This was announced today during a video conference with the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoig and the ship commander Igor Starch was declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin press service reports. "Today we are important, if you do not say a significant event: Admiral Gorshkov frigate begins a distant maritime campaign," the head of the Russian state commented.

Putin noted that the ship is equipped with a hypersonic zircon maritime base system, which allegedly "has no analogues in any country in the world" and, including the Russian weapons of the latest generations. At the same time, he stressed that "Zircon" is able to protect Russia from "potential external threats". According to Putin, the aggressor country intends to continue to develop the combat potential of its armed forces and release "promising weapons".

Shoigu's Defense Minister, in turn, said that the route of the warship would pass through the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean. Shoigu noted that one of the features of Zircon missiles is the ability to guarantee anti -missile defense. Admiral Gorshkov frigate is a part of the 43rd Division of the Northern Navy Missile Ships of Russia. Water was launched in October 2010, put into operation in 2018.

We will remind, the journalists of The New York Times believe that Vladimir Putin prepares the Russians for a long war against Ukraine. This is evidenced by his New Year's appeal, the publication emphasizes. On the eve of the New Year, The Washington Post wrote about a split inside Russian elites, which were concerned about a number of military failures of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.