Frigate ‘Álvaro de Bazán’ Tracks and Monitors Russian Naval Units

• The frigate of the Spanish Navy is integrated into Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2)

The Álvaro de Bazán frigate, part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2), has been monitoring Russian naval units as they transit the Mediterranean Sea.

Specifically, the Spanish frigate has conducted surveillance and tracking of the Russian submarine Krasnodar in the eastern Mediterranean waters. Subsequently, the Álvaro de Bazán also monitored another Russian unit, the frigate Admiral Golovko. The latest Russian frigate located and tracked by the Álvaro de Bazán was the Admiral Grigorovich.

Standing NATO Maritime Group 2

NATO’s Standing Naval Forces (SNF), which include two escort groups (SNMG) and two mine countermeasures groups (SNMCMG), provide NATO with a permanent maritime presence.

Currently, SNMG-2 is participating in the allied operation ‘Noble Shield’, while maintaining a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea and conducting various training exercises and activities aimed at improving interoperability among all allied navies.

SNMG-2 forms the core of NATO’s ‘Very High Readiness Joint Task Force Maritime’ (VJTF-M), as part of the Noble Shield operation.

This deployment strengthens Spain and the Spanish Navy’s commitment to the Alliance, as well as solidarity with other NATO member countries, thereby supporting deterrence and collective defence at sea and from the sea.