Battlecruiser launched surface-to-air missiles in Norwegian Sea The Russian Northern Fleet exercised with both artillery and surface-to-air missiles at a pre-announced area halfway between Northern Norway and Iceland in the first week of NATO’s Cold Response.

The Barents Observer previously reported about Russia’s announced warning zone in the Norwegian Sea, strategically located in the waters between the GIUK-Gap and the Bear Gap.

Now, the Norwegian Joint Headquarters confirms that shooting indeed took place.

“Anti-air weapons were used,” says Lt. Col. Ivar Moen, spokesperson with the Norwegian Armed Forces.

“This was announced and conducted in accordance with the procedures in a professional way,” he notes.

Moen says both artillery and short-ranged anti-air missiles were used. The activities were observed by the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel “KV Nordkapp”.

The Norwegian and Russian vessels communicated bridge to bridge.

The nuclear-powered battle cruiser “Pyotr Veliky” is the Northern Fleet’s command vessel and was sailing together with the destroyer “Severomorsk”. After the shootings far out in the Norwegian Sea, the battlecruiser sailed closer to Norway and is Tuesday morning some 90 to 100 nautical miles west of Andøya, one of the airbases in northern Norway in use during NATO’s Cold Response exercise.

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