Flagship of Black Sea Fleet to Pay Visit to Vladivostok

VLADIVOSTOK. March 10. VOSTOK-MEDIA – The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet GM cruiser Moskva (Moscow) is expected to arrive at Vladivostok in late May together with a support ship to take part in 2010 Vostok strategic exercises.

A spokesman for the Black Sea Fleet said in April the Moskva cruiser will embark on a six-month voyage. During the long-distance training voyage across Indian Ocean, the ship will rehearse cooperation with the Russian strategic aviation, carry out missile attack on a waterborne target with missile complex P-500 Bazalt, as well as participate in a Russia-India navy exercise. In addition, in fall 2010, the cruiser will conduct maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea together with French and Italian ships.

According to Interfax news agency, first named as “Slava” the guided-missile cruiser Moskva was laid down Nov. 4 1976, in Shipyard 445 of the 61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant in Mykolaiv, was launched on July 27 1979, and commissioned on 30 Jan. 1983. On 22 June 1995, the ship was recommissioned as “Moskva”.

The cruiser was frequently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea and paid numerous visits to ports of the states in the area. In December 1989, the Moskva provided security of the USSR officials at the meeting between General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and the US President George Bush, which took place in Malta. In December 1990, the cruiser returned to Mykolaiv for a refit but was not returned to service until April 2000. In 2003 the ship participated in the joint Russia-India exercise; in September 2004, she participated in joint Italian-Russian exercise 2004 IONIEKS. In the beginning of 2008, the cruiser was deployed to the Mediterranean along with other ships of the Red Banner Northern Fleet. In 2009, the Moskva took part in the commemorative events dedicate to the 100th anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake in Sicily.