The Spanish frigate Navarra has located two Russian ships, the navy’s Admiral Gorshkov and the resupply ship Yelnya, which were sailing south of the Balearics on their way from the eastern Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. The navy, which is part of the Maritime Operational Command (MOM) and under the operational control of the Operations Command (MOPS), began tracking the Russian units after locating them and monitored their passage through waters under Spanish responsibility and sovereignty until they left the Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on the border with Portugal.
According to the website of the Spanish Defence Staff, after leaving the zone, the Spanish frigate transferred the responsibility for tracking to a Portuguese Navy vessel. The tracking of these vessels is part of the Spanish army’s Operation Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence (OPVD), which aims to preserve national interests and monitor vessels of strategic interest that transit maritime spaces under Spanish sovereignty.
The Project 22350 also known as the Admiral Gorshkov class, is a class of frigates of the Russian Navy. The ships are being built by the Severnaya Verf in Saint Petersburg at a cost of $250 million per ship. The class was designed by the Severnoye Design Bureau and incorporates use of stealth technology. As of August 2020, ten vessels have been ordered for delivery by 2027. The lead ship of the class, Admiral Gorshkov, was commissioned on 28 July 2018.
The Admiral Gorshkov class is the successor to the Neustrashimy and Krivak-class frigates. Unlike their Soviet-era predecessors, the new ships are designed for multiple roles. They are to be capable to execute long-range strikes, conduct anti-submarine warfare and to carry out escort missions