SEVASTOPOL, June 1. /TASS/. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has held an official ceremony to accept the latest Buyan-M-class missile corvette Vyshny Volochyok for service, Fleet spokesman Captain 1st Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachyov said on Friday.

The ceremony included hoisting the St. Andrew’s flag on the newest corvette.

"The St. Andrew’s flag of the new warship was consecrated in the Archistratigus Michael Church, after which it was delivered by sea to the Minnaya stenka wharf. The official ceremony of hoisting the St. Andrew’s flag on the warship was attended by representatives of the main command of the Navy, the Black Sea Fleet, the Sevastopol administration and legislature, the Zelenodolsk Shipyard and a delegation of the city of Vyshny Volochyok," the spokesman said.

After the ceremony of hoisting the flag, which took place on the first day of the summer training period, the warship’s crew will continue undergoing the course of preparations for accomplishing assigned missions, after which it will switch to performing planned combat training assignments, the spokesman said.

Speaking at the flag-hoisting ceremony, Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet Rear Admiral Viktor Liina congratulated the fleet’s personnel and veterans, noting that this was a special day for the Navy.

"Today the Black Seas Fleet has become even stronger… this is another obvious confirmation of the state policy for strengthening Russia’s defense capability and its armed forces," the rear admiral said.

"This warship won’t stay at the berth for long: the crew will set off for accomplishing combat duty and combat training missions in the coming months and, if the Motherland issues such an order, in accomplishing combat assignments in the fleet’s operational zone," he added.

The missile corvette Vyshny Volochyok is a multirole warship furnished with advanced artillery, missile, anti-sabotage, air defense and radio-technical armaments.

The Vyshny Volochyok is the sixth corvette of the modernized Buyan-M Project and for the time being will be the sole warship of this class in the Black Sea Fleet.

Warships of this class feature a greater displacement and are equipped with the most advanced long-range precision weapons - the Kalibr-NK missiles designed to hit naval and coastal targets.