Russian Navy ships enter Kara Sea through Shokalsky Strait for first time

MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. A detachment of the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet ships entered the Kara Sea through the Shokalsky Strait, the fleet’s press service reported.

This occurred for the first time in the history of the Russian Navy, it said.

"A detachment of ships and auxiliary vessels of the Northern Fleet, under the command of the fleet’s Deputy Commander Vice Admiral Oleg Golubev, has for the first time in the history of the Russian Navy passed through the Shokalsky Strait, which separates the October Revolution Island from Bolshevik Island in the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago, and entered the waters of the Kara Sea," the statement reads.

The Northern Fleet’s press service reported that while passing through the strait, a training alert was issued on the ships to boost combat readiness for navigating the narrow passage. They noted that the crew of a Ka-29 helicopter was deployed from the ice-class patrol ship Ivan Papanin, after which it carried out ice reconnaissance along the route.

"Passage through the strait was conducted in difficult ice conditions," the fleet reported. Nevertheless, the ship crews maintained navigational safety, maneuvering with varying courses and speeds to safely avoid icebergs.

"While transiting the strait, the Northern Fleet sailors evaluated the suitability of the new navigation area for operations by Russian Navy ships," the fleet’s press service concluded.

Long-distance Arctic deployment

The long-distance deployment of the Northern Fleet’s detachment of warships and auxiliary vessels across the Arctic Ocean is being conducted under the command of Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet Vice Admiral Oleg Golubev. The task force includes the ice-class patrol ship Ivan Papanin, the large landing ship Kondopoga, the rescue tug Pamir, and the ocean-going tanker Sergey Osipov.

The Arctic deployment of the Northern Fleet’s ships is being conducted to protect Russia’s maritime navigation and economic activities in the Arctic.