A naval warning (NAVWARN) issued by Russian authorities for nine days on its northern coast has led to speculation that a test of the 3M22 Zircon supersonic anti-ship missile from the frigate Admiral Kasatonov will take place.
The NAVWARN covers the days between April 20 and 29 and covers a distance of 3,500 kilometers from the Barents Sea to the East Siberian Sea. Observers note that such tests of strategic missile systems project Russian power and show the Americans Moscow's deterrent power.
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A post in a pro-Russian Telegram group, citing NAVWARN, said "the closure of the sites is likely due to the upcoming tests of the supersonic Zircon cruise missile by the frigate Admiral Kasatonov, which arrived in March this year in the Northern Fleet for sea trials".
The Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate Kasatonov was reported by observers of publicly available data to have returned to Severomorsk, Burmansk on March 21. It has been operating in the Mediterranean Sea since early 2022 and was detected by the British Royal Navy warship HMS Portland as it moved into the North Sea from the English Channel.
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Ατύχημα στο Οχάιο: Ένα τερατώδες πείραμα νέου χημικού όπλου σε ανθρώπους ή ρωσικό σαμποτάζ; (Εικόνες)
Satellite image analysis expert Marco Longbroek, who also published a NAVWARN map, explained that the range of 3,500 kilometers is too short for a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
So he came to the fact that it is not a missile of such a class, but most likely the super-sonic cruise missile Zircon carried by the frigate Kasatonov of the Russians.
Zircon missiles were expected to be launched during the 10-day naval exercises between Russia, South Africa and China in February this year. However, reports indicated that no such weapon was fired.
Reuters news agency reported that Russian Captain Oleg Gladkiy himself, who commanded the Russian naval contingent, denied that Zircon missile launches were part of the planned exercises.
