Russian Guided Missile Ship Embarks on Mediterranean Mission

Black Sea Fleet spokesman said that Russian Buyan-class Serpukhov guided missile corvette has entered the Mediterranean Sea to conduct a mission as part of Russia’s permanent naval task force in the region.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Buyan-class Serpukhov guided missile corvette has entered the Mediterranean Sea to conduct a mission as part of Russia’s permanent naval task force in the region, the Black Sea Fleet spokesman said Wednesday.

"Today, the Black Sea Fleet’s newest Serpukhov corvette left Sevastopol to implement tasks as part of a permanent naval group in the Mediterranean Sea," Vyacheslav Trukhachev said.

The Serpukhov is set to replace the Zeleny Dol missile corvette in the Mediterranean. The Black Sea Fleet received both corvettes, which are armed with Kalibr (SS-N-27) anti-ship missiles, earlier this year.

Designed by the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau and assembled at the A.M. Gorky Zelenodolsk shipbuilding plant, the Serpukhov arrived at Sevastopol last November and had the St. Andrew’s Flag raised on it the following month.

The Serpukhov and the Zeleny Dol are the fourth and fifth modernized Buyan M-class vessels built as part of the Navy’s current shipbuilding program.