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Russian Northern Fleet missile cruiser visits Cyprus

Last time, the Marshal Ustinov called at the port of Limassol in mid-October 2019
Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser  Peter Kovalev/TASS
Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser
© Peter Kovalev/TASS

MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. The Northern Fleet missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov has made a business call at the port of Limassol in Cyprus, the Fleet’s press office reported on Wednesday.

"The missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov will spend three days in Limassol. On January 18, the ship will leave the island of Cyprus and set off for its encounter with the large anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov and support vessels," the press office said in a statement.

The main aim of the visit is "to demonstrate the St. Andrew [Russian naval] flag and naval presence in the region and also to let the crew of the ship, which has been operating outside its home base for over six months already, to have a rest," the statement reads.

Last time, the Marshal Ustinov called at the port of Limassol in mid-October 2019.

The Northern Fleet missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov left the Fleet’s main naval base of Severomorsk on July 3 to take part in Russia’s main naval parade in St. Petersburg. After the parade, the crews of the cruiser and support vessels joined in the Russian Navy’s Ocean Shield-2019 large-scale drills.

Over the period of two months, the Northern Fleet’s sailors held a series of drills in the Mediterranean and visited Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. In the Atlantic Ocean, the missile cruiser made business calls at the ports of Praia in the Republic of Cabo Verde and Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.

In late November, the Northern Fleet sailors held their first joint drills with China and South Africa to provide for safe shipping and maritime economic activity.

In the first ten-day period of January 2020, the cruiser as a flagship took part in the joint drills of Russia’s Northern and Black Sea Fleets in the Black Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin supervised the naval exercise from the board of the missile cruiser.