Moskva arrives in Colombo
The Russian guided missile cruiser ‘Moskva’ arrived at the Colombo Port today on a replenishment and goodwill visit, Navy sources said.
The ship was ceremonially welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions on her arrival. To coincide with the ship’s visit, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Alexander A. Karchava and the ship’s Commanding Officer Captain Sergey I. Tronev paid a courtesy call on the Navy Commander Jayantha Perera at the Naval Headquarters. They held cordial discussions and exchanged mementos to mark the occasion.
Moskva is 187 meters in length. It has a displacement of 9,270 tonnes and consists of a complement of 514 naval personnel.
Moskva is named after the city of Moscow. It was earlier known as Slava, which means "Glory". It is the lead ship of the Project 1164 Atlant class of guided missile cruisers in the Russian Navy. Slava was laid down in 1976 in Shipyard 445 of the 61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant in Nikolayev, was launched in 1979, and commissioned on 30 January 1983. Slava returned to Nikolayev in December 1990 for a refit but was not returned to service until April 2000. Recommissioned as Moskva, she replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. During the 2014 Crimean Crisis, Moskva was responsible for blockading the Ukranian fleet in Donuzlav Lake. She will stay in the country till October 24. (Special Reporter/HC)
