FOR the first time in the history of bilateral relations the flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet missile cruiser ‘Varyag’ will pay a friendly visit to Brunei Darussalam. Together with large anti-submarine ship ‘Admiral Panteleev’ and tanker ‘Boris Butoma’, it will stay in the Muara Port from tomorrow until November 23.
‘Varyag’ is one of the premium class Russian guided missile cruisers. The warship joined the Pacific Fleet in 1990 and reentered the service in early 2008 after an overhaul. It was designed as a surface strike ship with anti-air and anti-submarine capabilities. The sixteen SS-N-12 Sandbox nuclear-capable supersonic anti-ship missiles are mounted in four pairs on either side of the superstructure, giving the ship a distinctive appearance.
In the last decade the ship visited a number of ports in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2009 ‘Varyag’ led a fleet of warships participating in a parade to mark the 60th anniversary of China’s Navy. In June 2010 ‘Varyag’ made a port call to San Francisco. The visit, the first by a Russian navy surface combatant in 147 years, featured a plaque dedication ceremony to commemorate six Russian Imperial Navy sailors who died fighting a fire in San Francisco in 1863.
From November 8-11, 2011 ‘Varyag’ made a port visit to Vancouver, British Columbia, to commemorate servicemen killed in armed conflicts. In November 2014, ‘Varyag’ led a deployment of four Russian naval vessels to international waters off Australia.
In early January 2016, ‘Varyag’ was deployed off Syria’s shore replacing sister ship ‘Moskva’ in support of Russia’s air operation in Syria that had begun in autumn 2015. In April-May 2017 the flagship visited Busan in South Korea, Manila in the Philippines, Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, Sattahip in Thailand and Tanjung Priok in Indonesia as well as Changi in Singapore where ‘Varyag’ took part in the events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Singapore Navy.
The main objective of the mission was to strengthen ties with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Also in April last year the cruiser carried out a combat training exercise as part of the tactical drills in the Sea of Japan to fire Bazalt cruise missiles against a sea shield simulating a notional enemy’s surface ship.
Before coming to Brunei Darussalam missile cruiser ‘Varyag’ paid friendly visits to the ports of China, South Korea and Japan.
The visit of missile cruiser ‘Varyag’ to Brunei Darussalam is yet another demonstration of Russia’s unwavering commitment to protect peace and security of the Asia-Pacific region and to enhance bilateral cooperation in the military sphere.
‘Varyag’ will be open for visit for the public on November 22 from 11am to 3pm.