Russian Navy’s Zeleny Dol and Serpukhov start combat drills

Crews of the Russian Navy’s two new Black Sea Fleet small-sized missile ships Zeleny Dol and Serpukhov started combat training at sea.

Black Sea Fleet Commander Admiral Alexander Vitko assessed the task performance readiness of the Zeleny Dol ship crew.

The ship’s crew conducted dangerous-sea area passages in cooperation with sweeper forces, practiced performing a missile strike during naval combat, eliminating a floating mine, and performed artillery firing against an aerial target.

Zeleny Dol and Serpukhov joined the Russian Navy in November 2015 and were assigned to their permanent naval base in Sevastopol, where the St. Andrew’s flag-hoisting ceremony took place.

The two ships were built at the Zelenodolsky shipyard within the implementation of the shipbuilding programme of the Russian Navy and the re-equipment plan of the Black Sea Fleet.

They are the 4th and 5th ships of the Buyan-M modernization series that have an increased displacement and armament which includes the Russian long-range cruise missile system Kalibr-NK.