Kirov-class Nuclear Powered Missile Cruiser Pyotr Veliky in Barents Sea for Northern Fleet drills

"The maneuvers are being directed by Northern Fleet Deputy Commander Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov staying onboard the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky," the press office said.

The maneuvers are taking place as part of the annual practical training of students of the Russian General Staff Military Academy.

The exercise will involve a mine-sweeping group comprising the mine sweepers Yadrin, Yelnya and Solovetsky Yunga that will support the departure of the cruiser Pyotr Veliky from its base. After that, a search and rescue group comprising the small antisubmarine warfare ships Yunga and Snezhnogorsk will interact with an Ilyushin Il-38 (NATO reporting name: May) plane and the Project 877 diesel-electric submarine Vladikavkaz to detect and destroy a simulated enemy’s submarine.

The nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky and the small antisubmarine warfare ships Snezhnogorsk and Yunga will hold a missile and artillery live-firing exercise to hit parachute targets dropped by a Sukhoi Su-24 (Fencer) frontline bomber. After that, the rescue tug Pamir and the BM-596 diving vessel will practice providing assistance for the crew of a ship in distress in cooperation with a Kamov Ka-27PS (Helix) shipborne search and rescue helicopter.

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