The next stage of the joint maneuvers will involve one of the Russian frigates
Moscow. January 28. INTERFAX-The mobile coastal anti-ship missile system (BPKRK) "Bastion" as part of the exercise made a march to the positional area on the territory of Crimea, the Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea Fleet) said on Thursday.
"The combat crews arrived in the designated area, deployed the complexes for combat use and prepared for conditional firing," the report said.
The next stage of the field exit of the Bastion division will be a joint exercise "with the crew of one of the frigates of the Black Sea Fleet," the press release says.
The personnel of the coastal missile and artillery brigade of the Black Sea Fleet are involved in the exercises in the Crimea.
The Bastion anti-ship missile system is equipped with the Onyx supersonic homing anti-ship missile.
"Bastion" is designed to protect the sea coast with a length of more than 600 km and defeat surface ships of various classes and types operating as part of amphibious formations, convoys, ship and aircraft carrier strike groups, as well as single ships and ground-based radio-contrast targets in conditions of intense fire and electronic counteraction.
On January 23, the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation reported that the Russian Black Sea Fleet began tracking the American destroyer "Donald Cook", which entered the Black Sea.
According to the Montreux Convention, the time spent by ships of non-Black Sea countries in the Black Sea is limited to 21 days.
The "Donald Cook" entered the Black Sea at the end of November 2020.
This destroyer can carry up to 56 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1.6 thousand km.
The" Donald Cook", equipped with the Aegis missile defense system, along with the US Navy destroyers "Carney", "Ross" and "Porter", is permanently stationed in Europe at the Spanish military base in Rota. These ships, together with the Aegis missile defense ground bases in Poland and Romania, are part of the European Phased Adaptive Missile Defense system program.
On January 25, the Black Sea Fleet reported that the patrol ship "Inquisitive" conducted exercises with artillery firing against the background of the approach to the Black Sea of the "Donald Cook".
On December 2, 2020, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO is increasing its presence in the Black Sea region and increasing support for Georgia and Ukraine.