MURMANSK, April 1. /TASS/. The Northern Fleet’s latest frigate Admiral Kasatonov completed accomplishing the tasks of its first long-distance deployment in the Mediterranean Sea and entered the Atlantic Ocean, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.

"The frigate Admiral Kasatonov has entered the Atlantic. Today it has passed through the Strait of Gibraltar westwards accompanied by the rescue tug Nikolai Chiker and the medium sea tanker Vyazma," the press office said in a statement.

The warship’s crew earlier practiced anti-submarine warfare tasks, employing a Ka-27PL helicopter and replenished fuel supplies from the tanker. In the Atlantic Ocean, the frigate’s crew will hold a series of shipborne drills. After accomplishing all the assigned missions, the warship will return to the Northern Fleet’s main naval base of Severomorsk, the statement says.

Over the time of its long-distance deployment that started on December 30 last year, the Admiral Kasatonov has covered a distance of about 17,000 nautical miles and visited the ports of Algeria, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Syria and Turkey.

The frigate Fleet Admiral Kasatonov is the second (the first serial-produced) Project 22350 warship built at the Severnaya Shipyard (part of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation). The cutting-edge frigate was laid down in 2010 and floated out in 2014.

At the end of 2018, the latest frigate entered shipbuilders’ sea trials that ran in the area of responsibility of the Baltic and Northern Fleets. The Admiral Kasatonov entered service with the Russian Navy on July 21, 2020.

Project 22350 frigates are expected to become the Russian Navy’s most advanced warships in their class. These frigates displace 4,500 tonnes and can develop a speed of 29 knots. They are armed with Oniks and Kalibr missiles and Poliment-Redut air defense missile systems.

The Project 22350 lead frigate Admiral Gorshkov entered service with the Russian Navy in July 2018.