The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that it tested the strike capabilities of the frigate “Admiral Gorshkov” in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, Reuters reports.

In the statement of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, it is stated that the frigate carried out a computer simulation of hypersonic missiles “Zirkon”.

Zircon missiles have a range of 900 km and can travel at several times the speed of sound, making it difficult to defend against them.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation did not specify that the frigate launched the missile.

Tensions between the West and Russia have reached their highest point in recent years due to the war in Ukraine.

Russian officials have repeatedly suggested that Russia could use its nuclear arsenal, the largest in the world, if it felt threatened by Western support for Ukraine.

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Frigate “Admiral Gorshkov” during a long voyage in the Atlantic Ocean

Earlier this year, the Russian Navy announced it had sent one of its most advanced warships, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate, on an extended cruise in the Atlantic before moving to the Pacific and eventually the Mediterranean, Interfax and Reuters reported.

The ceremony of accepting the ship into combat service took place on January 4 under the leadership of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who took part in the ceremony via video conference.

The commander of the ship, Ihor Krokhmal, said that before the campaign, the frigate went through a full cycle of preparation.

“The ship was loaded with warheads for Zircon and Kalibr missiles, air defense equipment, torpedoes and artillery. The ship’s crew is ready for combat duty,” Krohmal said at the ceremony, which was broadcast live by the Russia-24 TV channel.

Russia says the frigate will be used to “maintain regional stability”

Shoigu emphasized that the ship is capable of delivering powerful and devastating strikes against “the enemy at sea and on land,” adding that Zircon missiles can reach speeds of up to Mach 9 and bypass any anti-missile defense system.

“The main efforts of the military campaign will be focused on countering threats to Russia, on maintaining regional peace and stability together with friendly countries,” Shoigu also said.

“After exercises and training, the crew will practice the use of hypersonic weapons and long-range cruise missiles in various conditions,” added the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The Zircon hypersonic missile is part of a new arsenal of weapons that Russia claims to have developed and which President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly called unparalleled.

“At the beginning of January next year, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate of the Russian Navy will enter combat service with the latest hypersonic Zircon missile systems, which have no analogues in the world,” the Kremlin leader emphasized again at a meeting held at the Russian Ministry of Defense on December 21 year

His words came days after the Russian Navy announced that the ship had arrived at a naval base in Severomorsk, a city in northwestern Russia’s Murmansk region.

The frigate “Admiral Gorshkov” cannot enter the Black Sea

Despite its formidable armament, the ship “Admiral Gorshkov” will not change anything in the conflict between Moscow and the Ukrainians. Due to the fact that the Turks have closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, according to the Montreux Convention, the Russian frigate will not be able to enter the Black Sea and will be forced to stay in the eastern Mediterranean.

Under these conditions, it would be impossible for it to launch missiles in the direction of Kyiv, unless Moscow deliberately chose the territory of several NATO member states for them, which would mean a serious escalation. In addition, it would not make much sense from an operational point of view, since Russian ships in the Black Sea can independently perform ground tasks.

The use of the new Zircon hypersonic missile may be politically symbolic, but the Russian Air Force has already announced the use of the Kinzhal missile, an airborne hypersonic missile carried by bombers, in Ukraine.

During the launching of the ship “Admiral Gorshkov”, Serhii Shoigu declared his “confidence” that the supersonic missile will surpass “any modern anti-missile system of today”. One can only expect that at some point, during the deployment of the frigate, the missile will be tested, writes Le Figaro.

“The ship’s crew will conduct training with hypersonic (this is the Zircon) and long-range weapons (probably another Kalibr missile is meant),” Minister Shoigu said.

In fact, the Zircon missile, which entered service on January 4, is a hypersonic missile, as its speed is five times greater than the speed of sound – in this case it even reaches Mach 9, that is, almost 11,000 km/h. At the same time, it can have a complex trajectory, unlike ordinary ballistic missiles. The Caliber family of missiles is more traditional, the land-based version being the Russian equivalent of the American Tomahawk missile. They, which are already in use in Ukraine, have a range of 2,000-2,500 km (versus 1,000-1,500 km for Zircon).

Otherwise, the presence of a Russian frigate near some NATO ships and territories is a particular deterrent, as is the role assigned to older Russian cruisers and destroyers that spent several months in MEDOR starting on 24 February. And if the Admiral Gorshkov is indeed the flagship of the Russian fleet, its relative uniqueness underscores the limits of this aging fleet, according to Le Figaro.

Read here the most important information from 336th day of the war in Ukraine