The russian naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea received a boost with the arrival of the Varyag missile cruiser (Project 1164 Atlant). This reinforcement occurred after the Varyag ship and the Marshal Shaposhnikov frigate successfully traversed the Bab el-Mandeb strait and entered the Red Sea.
While the Marshal Shaposhnikov frigate remains stationed in the Red Sea, it recently made a port call in Massawa, Eritrea, on March 29, and is anticipated to remain there for a few days. Its subsequent route remains uncertain, with possibilities including rejoining the Varyag ship or returning to Vladivostok. The Varyag ship, on the other hand, is expected to make a port call at Tartus in Syria, where the russian military naval base is located. This marks a notable redeployment of the missile cruiser in the region following a pause from 2021 to 2022.
Read more: russian Varyag and Marshal Shaposhnikov Ships Sail Into the Red Sea for a few Reasons
In the autumn of 2021, the Varyag ship was stationed off the Syrian coast until February 2022. During that time, there was a considerable possibility of it entering the Black Sea to reinforce the russian Black Sea Fleet. However, by February 24, 2022, it had not transited through the Bosporus, as Ankara had restricted the passage of russian warships.
It’s important to highlight that russia’s deployment of missile cruisers is limited, with only three units of this type in its fleet. Following the destruction of the Moskva ship, there are now only two remaining Project 1164 Atlant cruisers in russia: the Varyag ship in the Pacific Fleet and the Marshal Ustinov vessel in the Northern Fleet. Additionally, the Northern Fleet possesses the Pyotr Velikiy ship, an atomic missile cruiser from Project 1144 Orlan. Another cruiser of the same project, the Admiral Nakhimov ship, has been undergoing repairs and modernization since 1997, with approximately $5 billion spent on it by 2023. The anticipated return-to-service date for the Admiral Nakhimov ship has been postponed four times since 2018, with the latest projected year being 2024.
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