Artillery boats of the Bumblebee project and landing craft of the Dugong and Serna types of the Caspian Flotilla passed through Rostov-on-Don in the direction of the Taganrog Bay. 15 ships and support vessels of the Caspian Flotilla are involved in the transition from Makhachkala to the Black Sea.
According to the press service of the Southern Military District, in preparation for the transition, the boat commanders, watch officers and crews providing navigation safety, conducted training on the passage of narrow sections and strait zones. The warships passed through the Volga-Don Canal more than 100 kilometers without incident and overcame 13 locks.
The CFL team visited Volgograd, Kalach-on-Don, Volgodonsk and Semikarakorsk.
After the end of the transition, the Caspian sailors will take part in a large-scale training to defend the Crimea and repel the air and sea landings of the imaginary enemy. In addition, the remaining CFL corvettes in the Caspian Sea went to the positional areas of the sea for artillery and missile exercises. The maneuvers also involve the operational-tactical and naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet, as well as more than 1,500 motorized infantry of the Southern Military District.
It should be noted that the boats of the Bumblebee project can operate both in the coastal sea zone and on rivers and lakes. A small draft and a powerful engine allow you to provide fire support to the landing on inland waters and sink small enemy vessels.
The Bumblebees are armed with a 76-mm artillery piece, a 140-mm rocket launcher and a machine gun. The boat's crew is 14 people. The cruising range is 320 nautical miles.
Nikolay Grishchenko
