Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Monday that Tu-22M3 long-range bombers carried out a four-hour patrol over the neutral waters of the Barents Sea as part of the ongoing Zapad-2025 military drills. Simultaneously, Baltic Fleet marines in Kaliningrad repelled a mock enemy landing, engaging in live-fire exercises with armored vehicles, grenade launchers, helicopters, and coastal defense systems.
The drills also featured the launch of a 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile from a frigate, which the ministry claimed hit its target in the Barents Sea with precision. First test-fired from the Northern Fleet’s Admiral Gorshkov in 2020, the Zircon is capable of speeds up to Mach 9 and is designed to strike both naval and land-based targets.
