MURMANSK, December 31. /TASS/. The crews of five surface ships from the Russian Northern Fleet will meet the approaching New Year in distant waters, the Fleet’s press office told TASS on Thursday.
"A congratulatory letter by Northern Fleet Commander, Admiral Vladimir Korolyov has been sent to the crews on distant missions," the press office said.
The most impressive long-distance mission has been assigned to the Vice-Admiral Kulakov large anti-submarine ship, which has covered a distance of over 10,000 miles since October 23 and visited Limassol in Cyprus, Karachi in Pakistan and the port of Salalah in Oman.
The Vice-Admiral Kulakov large anti-submarine ship has taken over the duties of the Black Sea Fleet’s frigate Smetlivy in the Mediterranean Sea.
In his congratulatory letter, Northern Fleet Commander said the outgoing year had checked the worth of the united strategic command established in December 2014 on the basis of the Northern Fleet and had seen the strengthening of the Fleet’s positions in the Arctic and in the World Ocean.
The Northern Fleet considerably reinforced its aviation and air defense in 2015 after receiving modern S-400 Triumf long-range antiaircraft missile systems and deck-based MiG-29K fighter jets and drones, the admiral said.
For the first time in its history, the Northern Fleet held exercises in the outgoing year to practise the defense of an important industrial facility on Taimyr Peninsula and combat firing drills of its Arctic brigade on Kotelny Island. The strategic nuclear-powered submarine Yuri Dolgoruky performed its first long-distance march under the Arctic ice as the Borei-class lead vessel.