The Victoria F-82 frigate of the Spanish Navy has monitored Russian vessels during their passage through waters of national sovereignty, according to the specialized media.. These actions are part of the Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations (OPVD), under operational control of the Operations Command (MOPS).
The Defense Staff (Emad) has shared several images in which you can see how the F-82 closely monitors the Almirante Golovko frigate, of the Almirante Gorshkov class. This is one of the most modern of Project 22350 with which Russia seeks to once again build large ships capable of operating in distant maritime and oceanic areas.
The frigate is equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. These missiles have a range of 900 km and are capable of traveling at several times the speed of sound, which makes their neutralization extremely difficult.
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, almost three years ago, Russian ships have periodically transited waters of Spanish interest. Last November, the frigates Méndez Núñez and Blas de Lezo and the patrol boat Vigía monitored half a dozen Russian Navy vessels, according to the specialized media.
These surveillance operations are carried out by ships integrated into the Maritime Operational Command (MOM), an organ of the operational structure of the Armed Forces that is under the command of the Admiral of Maritime Action and is based in Cartagena.
The Victoria frigate is the second of the six frigates that make up the F-80 series. The ship is the seventh in the history of the Navy to take the historic name ‘Victoria’ in honor of the ship that, captained by Juan Sebastián de Elcano, completed the first circumnavigation of the world between 1519 and 1522.
In addition, it is 138 meters long and has a maximum speed of 30 knots. It is a very versatile escort since it has great capacity for the three main wars: air, surface and submarine.
