The incident comes just days later NATO heads met in Madrid to discuss the war in Ukraine amid mounting tensions with Russia. At the summit, Western leaders pledged to increase the number of high-prepared troops from currently about 40,000 to well over 300,000. The Allies have also agreed on long-term support for Ukraine as Kiev’s forces continue to try to fend off Putin’s invading army.
Admiral Gorshkov was followed on Tuesday by both Norwegian and NATO allied ships as it passed through the waters off western Norway.
The Russian frigate had tested a hypersonic zircon missile in the Barents Sea on May 28, before training with other Northern Fleet warships from Severomorsk in June.
A spokesman for Norway’s joint headquarters confirmed that a Norwegian ship was monitoring the Russian warship at the time.
Major Elisabeth Eikeland told the Barentsz observer: “It is KV Bergen who is now following Admiral Gorshkov.”
For “operational” reasons, the major declined to provide more specific details about the incident.
The frigate is believed to be on its way to Saint Petersburg to participate in the annual Navy Parade to be held at the end of July.
Russia has been developing and testing the zircon missile for many years.
One of the most important features is speed, which gives the weapon its strategic value.
The Zircon can travel at eight times the speed of light (Mach 8) and carry a payload of approximately 300 kg.
The missile also produces a plasma cloud, effectively making it invisible to radars.
The plasma cloud envelops the missile and absorbs all rays of radio frequencies, preventing detection.
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In an ironic twist, the first two frigates built had Ukrainian gas turbine engines.
After Russia’s first invasion of the Donbas in 2014, Kiev stopped providing military technology to Russia.
The Russian Navy consists of four fleets: Pacific Fleet, Northern Fleet, Baltic Fleet, and Black Sea Fleet.
Before hostilities broke out in Ukraine, it had about 130,000 personnel and about 32 large surface ships.
Russian naval commanders suffered a major blow to their reputation when Ukraine sank the flagship of the Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in April.