On July 26 the Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov made port call at Oran, Algeria. The Navy Northern Fleet’s press office reported regarding the deployment: “Today a Northern Fleet naval group led by the frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov [the frigate’s full official name] accomplishing long-distance deployment missions has made a business call at the port of Oran of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.” The ship was accompanied by the medium sea tanker Akademik Pashin, which has supported it on its months long overseas deployment. The crews of the frigate and the support vessel will take part in protocol events cementing ties between the two countries, including playing a friendly football game with Algerian sailors. Algeria has maintained close security ties with Russia, and has for years been the second largest client for Russian arms other than India. The country stands out in a league of its own for its military capabilities relative to other states on the African continent, and following a Western assault on neighbouring Libya in 2011 it has prioritised the modernisation of its aerial warfare capabilities to deter and if necessary repel any similar attack. U.S.-led military exercises in the region have notably raised concerns regarding the possibility of conflict.
The Admiral Gorshkov is the first of ten Admiral Gorshkov Class frigates laid down by Russia, and is currently considered the most capable surface combatant in the country’s fleet, largely due to the lack of production of destroyer or cruiser sized ships since the end of the Soviet era. Of the ten 5,400 ton warships planned to be commissioned into service, seven are still under construction, with the Admiral Gorshkov itself having been prioritised for integration of newly developed weapons systems, most notably the Zircon cruise missile which began its first combat duty on the ship in January 2023. This followed the first launch of a Zircon missile from the ship in February 2020, which is considered the most potent anti ship missile class carried by any surface combatant other than the recently introduced Chinese YJ-21. The Admiral Gorshkov in June notably trained for long range strikes in the Atlantic Ocean alongside the Yasen-M Class nuclear powered attack submarine Kazan, before both made a port visit to Havana, Cuba, just 350 kilometres off the coast of the United States. The ship’s deployment to Algeria cements longstanding defence ties between the two states, which have grown over the last decade with close cooperation seen in much of West Africa combating French and U.S. influence in the region.