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Russian Cruiser Marshal Ustinov Conducts Artillery Fire Near Norway Increasing Military Pressure in the Arctic.
On April 15, 2025, the Russian military announced the launch of a series of military exercises near the Norwegian border, drawing the attention of regional observers. The Russian cruiser Marshal Ustinov, 186 meters in length, fired its AK-130 artillery system at land-based targets on the Rybachii Peninsula, located on the Barents Sea coast. This training area lies approximately 30 kilometers from the Russia-Norway land border and about 20 kilometers from the maritime boundary separating the two countries.
In early March 2025, Marshal Ustinov participated in similar drills in the same area, involving artillery fire, missile launches, and torpedo exercises (Picture source: Russian MoD)
According to the Northern Fleet, all targets were successfully hit during the exercise. The military activity scheduled for the week is not limited to artillery fire: the Marshal Ustinov will also conduct anti-submarine warfare drills, as well as air defense and counter-drone operations. Several types of missiles are expected to be launched as part of the training in the Barents Sea.
The Marshal Ustinov is a Russian guided-missile cruiser of the Slava class (Project 1164), commissioned in 1986 and currently assigned to the Northern Fleet with Severomorsk as its home port. Measuring 186.4 meters and displacing 12,700 tons at full load, it is powered by a COGOG propulsion system that enables speeds of up to 34 knots and a range of 9,000 nautical miles at 15 knots. Originally designed by the Soviet Union for high-intensity naval operations, the vessel is equipped for anti-ship warfare, long-range air defense, and anti-submarine missions. It also features a hangar and a flight deck capable of hosting a Kamov Ka-25 or Ka-27 helicopter, used notably for over-the-horizon targeting.
Its main armament includes 16 P-1000 Vulkan anti-ship missiles (upgraded from the earlier P-500 Bazalt), 64 S-300F Fort (SA-N-6) long-range surface-to-air missiles, 40 OSA-M (SA-N-4) short-range missiles, one twin-barreled AK-130 130 mm naval gun, six AK-630 close-in weapon systems, ten 533 mm torpedo tubes, and two RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers. The cruiser is also equipped with a full suite of surveillance, fire control, and electronic warfare systems, including the Kol'cho system and multiple jammers. Modernized between 2012 and 2016, the Marshal Ustinov has since carried out several missions in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Barents Sea, reinforcing its role as a strategic asset in distant maritime operations for the Russian Navy.
This is the second time in a month that the cruiser has conducted such an exercise. In early March 2025, Marshal Ustinov participated in similar drills in the same area, involving artillery fire, missile launches, and torpedo exercises. A video released at the time by the Northern Fleet illustrated the intensity of the operations. In addition to the cruiser, these drills also involved a nuclear submarine, the frigate Admiral Kasatonov, and several anti-submarine warfare vessels, including the Yunga, Brest, and Snezhnegorsk, according to the fleet's newspaper Na Strazhe Zapolyariya.
The Rybachii Peninsula is a regularly used training site for the Northern Fleet. In September 2024, two Bastion coastal defense missile systems were used to fire projectiles from the same location during the large-scale naval exercise Ocean-2024.
These repeated drills reflect a sustained level of operational readiness among Russian naval forces in the High North, close to NATO borders. While framed by Moscow as internal military activities, their geographic proximity to Norway continues to draw attention from Nordic countries and their allies. In a geopolitical climate shaped by the war in Ukraine and rising tensions between Moscow and Western capitals, each military maneuver near NATO territory carries strategic significance that goes beyond routine training.
Tensions between Russia and the Nordic countries have intensified since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and further escalated following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. The resulting deterioration in regional security prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-standing military neutrality and apply for NATO membership—a decision perceived by Moscow as a strategic provocation. In response, Russia has reinforced its military posture in the Arctic and on the Kola Peninsula, conducting frequent naval and aerial drills near Norwegian and Finnish borders. Incidents involving airspace interceptions and operations close to territorial waters have become more common, fueling concern among Nordic states about increasingly assertive Russian activity.
The Arctic region holds growing strategic importance for Russia, both for its natural resources and the control of Northern maritime routes. The militarization of this area—evident through the deployment of coastal defense systems, the modernization of bases, and the presence of major naval units such as the Marshal Ustinov—sends a clear signal to NATO. For Nordic countries, these developments underscore the need for regional defense cooperation and a greater NATO presence in the High North. Norway, in particular, plays a central role in monitoring Russian activities in the Arctic and coordinating allied military responses, placing the region at the heart of a redefined strategic balance in Europe.