Three Russian combat vessels including a tank landing ship enter Black Sea

Europe, News February 11, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

As the tensions between Russia and NATO increase, the Russian Navy has deployed three more amphibious ships in the Black Sea.

The fleet contains two Project 775 Ropucha-class Landing Ships namely Georgy Pobedonosets (016) and Olenegorsky Gornyak (012). The third ship in the fleet is a Project 11711 Ivan Gren-Class Tank Landing Ship Pyotr Morgunov (017).

The highlight of the recent movement across Bosporus was Russia’s newly acquired Ivan Gren-class Tank Landing Ship. The Ivan Gren-class is to replace the Russian Navy’s Alligator-class landing ships. Ivan Gren-class was commissioned to the Russian Navy in 2018 and this is the first time that this ship is being deployed in the Black Sea.

Project 11711 ships can carry as many as 13 battle tanks or 36 armored personnel carriers. The ship has a displacing capacity of between 5,000 and 6,000 tonnes.

Russian Navy is busy making changes in its Naval deployment. Most of the naval movement comes amid Russia rising tensions with NATO at different fronts. Russian warships have been active around the Atlantic Ocean especially focusing on the European Navy’s western flank.

*^{Russia’s Project 11711 Ivan Gren-Class Tank Landing Ship. (Image Credit: BairdMaritime)}*

The Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy is also slipping into the Mediterranean. By the end of January, it was speculated that Russia sent its Second Slava-Class Cruiser Marshal Ustinov into the Mediterranean Sea ahead of the NATO alliance’s Clemenceau 22 deployment.

Earlier, six Russian warships and one submarine crossed Bosporus to make it into the Black Sea along Ukraine’s maritime borders. It is expected that the ships, submarines, as well as troops, are being gathered at the Black Sea to carry out naval drills, however, Russian military officials have not made any announcement about military or naval exercises in the region.

The three recently sent ships into the Black Sea will be added to an already overwhelming naval deployment at Ukrainian maritime borders giving rise to the speculations about the Russian invasion into Ukraine.