The warship that escorted Putin’s yacht sailed into Severomorsk after a “combat mission” — the yacht itself may have been headed for neighboring Murmansk

The large anti-submarine ship Severomorsk, which escorted Vladimir Putin’s yacht Graceful on its voyage through the Baltic and North seas, has arrived at its home base in the closed administrative territory of the same name near Murmansk. The news was reported on social media by Severomorsk head Vladimir Evmenkov, as noted by Vyorstka.

According to him, during the voyage the ship’s crew “valiantly carried out tasks to ensure the security of our country and maintain international stability.”

For his part, Vice Admiral Oleg Shastov, commander of the Kola Flotilla of the Northern Fleet’s diverse forces, said that “the voyage took place amid growing tension in the international political situation,” local media write.

“You spent more than 200 days at sea, covered more than 35,000 miles, escorted and ensured the safety of civilian fleet vessels,” Shastov said.

At the same time, the whereabouts of the second escort ship, the Voevoda, and of the president’s yacht itself are unknown. They did not appear in photographs from the ceremonial welcome for the Severomorsk, and they are also not mentioned in statements by Murmansk officials or in local media.

🟦At the end of June, the Severomorsk was spotted escorting Vladimir Putin’s superyacht Graceful during its voyage through the Baltic and North seas. The 82-meter vessel switched on its transponder for the first time since 2022. When the media reported this, it once again stopped transmitting a signal.

🟦Initially, ship-tracking services listed Istanbul as Graceful’s destination. However, after switching off its transponder, the yacht set a course toward Murmansk, The Telegraph wrote, citing satellite data. “They don’t want to take risks. They’re moving it farther away from the Ukrainians after they smashed Kronstadt,” former UK military attache in Moscow John Foreman commented on the yacht’s voyage.

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