by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A Russian warship carrying Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles carried out drills in the English Channel earlier this month, Sky News reports. Russia began mass-producing Zircon missiles in 2023 in an effort to strengthen its nuclear weapons capability.
A Project 22350 frigate, the Admiral Golovko navy warship left its base in Severomorsk, Russia, on November 2 and reached the Pas De Calais section of the English Channel on Sunday, November 10, Sky News reports. Project 22350 ships are the largest type of warship in Russia’s current navy fleet and are designed for long-range missions.
The Golovko conducted counter-terrorism drills and training on avoiding dangerous targets, Sky News reports. The ship was fitted with 3S14 VLS cells, which can launch Kalibr, Oniks, or Zircon anti-ship cruise missiles. “The sea-based Zircon hypersonic missiles have a range of 900 km (560 miles), and can travel at several times the speed of sound, making it difficult to defend against them,” Sky News noted in its report.
The Golovko’s principal task was to “demonstrate the flag and ensure the naval presence in important areas of the off-shore maritime zone,” the Russian defense ministry said.
In a statement, the UK’s conservative shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge said the Russian Navy drill shows that Britain must boost its own military.
“[The Russian Navy’s] reports underline how Russian activity continues to pose a direct right on our doorstep, not just in Ukraine. That’s why it’s so important for the Government to set out a clear pathway to 2.5 percent of GDP being spent on defense – so that we can rearm at pace, and boost our deterrence,” Cartlidge said.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel came under a coordinated barrage of rockets, drones, and ballistic missiles Wednesday night as Hezbollah and Iran launched simultaneous attacks that triggered air raid sirens across large parts of the country.
A pastor was recovering Wednesday after being beaten unconscious when a mob of Hindu nationalists attacked a house church gathering in central India, assaulting worshippers that included women and children, Christians familiar with the case said.
Belgium, Britain, France, and Germany are among European countries on heightened alert after an explosion outside a synagogue in eastern Belgium raised fears of possible terrorism linked to the war involving Iran.
U.S. intelligence agencies say they have intercepted encrypted communications believed to originate from Iran, raising concerns that the signals could be intended to activate sleeper cells abroad amid escalating tensions following reports that Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike.
Israel is exploring a strategic security partnership with Somaliland that could potentially include a military presence near the mouth of the Red Sea, according to officials cited in a Bloomberg report.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) announced Wednesday that member nations will release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, the largest coordinated drawdown in the agency’s history, as the war with Iran disrupts global energy supplies.
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the first new U.S. oil refinery built in half a century will be constructed in Brownsville, Texas, calling the project a historic milestone for American energy independence.