Russian warships to dock in Alexandria on Friday for naval drills with Egypt

Ahram Online , Thursday 2 Dec 2021

Russian warships are set to arrive at the port of Alexandria on Friday to participate in the joint Russian-Egyptian naval drills Bridge of Friendship 2021, said Russian news agency TASS on Thursday quoting the fleet’s press office.

Russian navy ships
File Photo: Russian navy ships during drills in the Black Sea taken on April 14, 2021. AP

The Bridge of Friendship 2021 exercises will take place from 3 to 10 December in the eastern Mediterranean near the Gulf of Alexandria.

The Russian navy group comprises warships from the Black Sea Fleet, including the frigate Admiral Grigorovich with a deck-based helicopter, the patrol ship Dmitry Rogachyov and the rescue tug SB-742, TASS said.

The news agency reported, that a Russian delegation – headed by Commander of the Black Sea Fleet’s Novorossiysk Naval Base Rear Admiral Viktor Kochemazov – has already arrived in Alexandria to conclude the drill’s preparatory stage.

The Egyptian and Russian naval forces will be commanded by the drill’s joint headquarters, carrying out tasks including thwarting naval attacks, inspecting suspicious ships, providing air defense and replenishing supplies at sea using a helicopter, the fleet’s press office said.

The Russian-Egyptian Bridge of Friendship exercise has been held since 2015, and the last edition in 2020 took place in the Black Sea for the first time.

Short link: