33rd Russian ship to cross Portuguese exclusive economic zone this year
“Air Force personnel accompanied a training ship from the Russian Federation belonging to the ‘Smolnyy’ class, which entered service with the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy in 1977,” FAP said in a statement.
According to the air force, “this type of mission makes it possible to reinforce surveillance of the strategic space, guaranteeing a constant and attentive presence to movements in the area of national interest and contributing to the security and protection of the waters under Portuguese responsibility”.
This was the 21st mission to monitor non-NATO ships in 2024, with 33 Russian and two Chinese ships being monitored, the same note adds.
The Portuguese Navy also frequently carries out this type of mission involving ships from the Russian Federation.
Naval Chief of Staff Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo revealed in an interview earlier this year that in the last three years the number of missions to accompany Russian ships during their passage through Portuguese waters has quadrupled.
In the interview with TSF Rádio/ Diário de Notícias, Admiral Gouveia e Melo puts the situation into context, saying the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine has changed international behaviour.
“This change could be so structural that it could destroy the bases we have today. By destroying these bases, everything that we take for granted today, which is security in Europe, NATO, the European Union, which are essential pillars for our security and prosperity, could be jeopardised,” he warned.
Source: LUSA
