Russian Northern Fleet begins major Arctic deployment

The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced that a detachment from the Northern Fleet has departed on a long-term voyage toward the Arctic. The fleet is led by the ice-class patrol ship ‘Ivan Papanin’.

Other vessels included in the detachment are the large landing ship ‘Kondopoga’, the rescue tug ‘Pamir’, and the marine tanker ‘Sergei Osipov’. Captain Second Rank Aleksandr Zinovyev, Chief of Staff of the detachment of warships and auxiliary vessels of the Northern Fleet, stated that the crews are prepared to carry out their assigned tasks.

Planned activities during the voyage include ensuring the safety of navigation along the Northern Sea Route. The Ministry of Defense noted that before departure, the crews completed a full cycle of preparations and conducted tasks in the Barents Sea in accordance with the Russian Navy's combat training program for surface ships and vessels.