Russian warships equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles will patrol the Mediterranean later this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the start of a meeting in Sochi with Russian military and industry leaders.
"During the current year, 120 warships and submarines have been scheduled and, in connection with the current threat of international terrorist attacks in Syria and the Mediterranean, our ships equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles will conduct permanent patrols," he said. Russian president.
Referring to the activities of the Russian Navy, Putin said that in recent years the issues that the Russian Navy undertakes to resolve have increased, while its presence has expanded geographically - in the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic and the seas of Asia and the Pacific. Pacific. At the same time, he praised the impeccable and well-thought-out action of the crews of warships and submarines during military operations in Syria, noting that "cruise missile strikes and the efficiency of the Navy air force have caused serious damage to terrorist units and infrastructure.
Putin stressed that "it is necessary to strengthen the naval strategic nuclear forces, to upgrade the role of the navy, as a guarantee for nuclear deterrence," while calling for special attention to be paid to coordinating the action of the navy with the Armed Forces. and other parts of the Russian Armed Forces.
The Russian president assured that the state will continue to equip the Russian Navy with state-of-the-art weapons, telecommunications and espionage and targeting systems as part of the state armaments program.
The Kalibr missiles
Kalibr missiles have a range of 2.500 kilometers. Russian submarines, frigates and other warships of the Russian Navy are equipped with similar missiles.
The Kalibr missiles were first used in Syria in October 2015. At that time, 26 missiles were fired from four warships in the Caspian Sea. They have since been used repeatedly against targets in Syria.