At the beginning of July, the arrival of the Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov to Venezuela was confirmed as part of an official visit to the South American country on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations. The ship, which heads a flotilla that also included the nuclear attack submarine Kazan, arrived at the port of La Guaira on July 3, after completing another visit to Cuba in mid-June. The presence of these Northern Fleet ships in the Caribbean Sea is apparently intended by Moscow to demonstrate its force projection capabilities and its ability to deploy in various parts of the globe, sending a clear message to the United States.
Yesterday, through a publication by the Russian Embassy in Venezuela, it was reported that the frigate Admiral Gorshkov set sail from La Guaira, thus concluding its visit to the South American country. It should also be noted that during its stay, the Northern Fleet ship was accompanied by the logistics vessel Pashin (a ship belonging to the Project 23130 class).
During its stay in the Venezuelan port, the delegations of both ships participated in the celebrations and military parade held by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces on the occasion of Venezuela’s Independence Day.
It is presumed, as no further details of its next schedule were provided, that the Russian frigate, along with its escort ship, may make another visit to countries with which Moscow has friendly relations, such as Ortega’s Guatemala. However, it could also happen that the ships return to Russia to reintegrate into the Northern Fleet, as the submarine Kazan did after its visit to Cuba in June.
Given either of these two possibilities, it is likely that the Russian Navy flotilla will be monitored and tracked by naval forces in the region, as evidenced by the Royal Netherlands Navy, which deployed one of its patrol ships during the Admiral Gorshkov’s navigation in the Caribbean Sea. It is also likely that, when they enter Atlantic waters, naval and air assets of the United States Navy will closely follow the flotilla during its return transit to Russia.
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