Russia has fired off one of the world’s biggest cruise missiles as a huge naval exercise in waters around the world comes to an end.
Operation July Storm has seen more than 15,000 personnel, 150 vessels and 120 aircraft take part in war games in the Pacific and Arctic oceans, as well as the Caspian and Baltic seas, in Vladimir Putin’s latest show of strength to the world.
As part of the drill, Russian Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine the Orel launched a P-700 Granit cruise missile strike on dummy targets in the Barents Sea off the north west coast of Russia.
Designed way back in the 1970s, the Granit is one of the biggest cruise missiles in the world and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead some 300 miles.
It is claimed that when fired in a swarm, one of the missiles climbs to a higher altitude and designates targets while the others attack, although it has never been confirmed.
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed: “On the concluding day of the large-scale manoeuvres at the Northern Fleet, the frigate Admiral Golovko, the nuclear-powered submarine cruiser Orel and a Bastion coastal defence missile system conducted joint missile firings by Kalibr, Granit and P-800 Oniks cruise missiles at a multiple sea target in the Barents Sea.”
The Orel is one of three Oscar II nuclear-powered Soviet-era subs still in service. They were once considered to be some of the most capable attack vessels during the Cold War era, entering service in 1986 with the last to join in 1994.
Each sub is kitted out with 24 rockets, but the class have been slowly phased out of service, replaced by the Yasen attack submarines, which feature a stealthier design and larger arsenal capable of holding 32 more modern and smaller cruise missiles such as the Zircon hypersonic projectile.
The Russian Navy’s July Storm exercise ended at the weekend under the overall command of Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev.
Meanwhile, Polish authorities have rounded up dozens of individuals suspected of being Russian spies, with the nation’s Prime Minister pointing fingers at them for sabotage and arson. The 32 detainees linked to Russian intelligence span across five nations: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Colombia, and Poland itself.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk briefed the press, revealing that ‘contracted beatings’ were part of a scheme directed by Vladimir Putin to shake up Western countries. He declared: “At the moment, 32 people who are suspected of collaborating with Russian special services who ordered sabotage or contract beatings have been detained.
“Despite our effectiveness in the fight against the organisers of sabotage and contract beatings, the time has come to issue a real emergency signal to all special services.”