MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. The Russian Navy’s cutting-edge frigate Admiral Gorshkov carrying Tsirkon hypersonic missiles will replenish supplies at the Syrian port of Tartus and participate in the joint drills with the Chinese and South African navies in its long-distance deployment, a military-diplomatic source told TASS on Monday.
"In its long-distance deployment, the Admiral Gorshkov will call at the logistics base in the Syrian port of Tartus, following which it will participate in the joint drills with the Chinese and South African navies," the source said.
TASS has no official confirmation of this information yet.
The naval drills involving naval ships from South Africa, Russia and China will run on February 17-27. As the South African Defense Ministry said in a statement posted on its website, the upcoming 10-day drills will take place near the coastal town of Durban and Richards Bay in the Indian Ocean with the aim of "sharing operational skills and knowledge." The exercise aims "to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China," the statement reads.
The first such trilateral naval exercise took place off South Africa’s southwestern Atlantic coast near Cape Town in November 2019. This time, the navies from South Africa, Russia and China will exercise in the waters between the town of Durban and Richards Bay located at a distance of 87 nautical miles (161 kilometers). South African top brass earlier reported that Russia would be represented by two warships in the drills, according to preliminary data.
The frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov has been deployed in distant waters under the command of Northern Fleet Missile Ships Division Commander Captain 1st Rank Oleg Gladky. The warship’s deployment aims to ensure Russia’s naval presence in strategically important areas of the World Ocean.