Russian naval training ship the Smolny has docked in Equatorial Guinea for its second official visit, the African Initiative news agency reported on Sunday.

The vessel, part of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, was received in the capital Malabo by senior officers of the Equatorial Guinean Navy, Russian Ambassador Karen Chalyan, and embassy staff. 

Unlike previous deployments, this year’s voyage for the Smolny begins in Equatorial Guinea and will include stops in South Africa, Tanzania, Sao Tome and Principe, the Republic of the Congo, and Vietnam, before concluding in Vladivostok, Russia, in late September.  

The ship is carrying around 400 personnel, including 200 naval cadets enrolled in at-sea training. During the Malabo stopover, the cadets are expected to take part in military and cultural events, including a parade, friendly football match, and meetings with local Russians. 

As part of the official program, the commander of the Smolny gave a tour of the vessel to Malabo’s senior naval officials. The visit included an inspection of the ship’s living quarters – where 15 Tanzanian cadets currently studying in Russian naval academies are also housed – as well as the command bridge and medical bay with the onboard operating room and dental clinic.

This visit follows the Smolny’s 2024 port tour across several African countries, including Cameroon, Benin, the Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Namibia, and Angola.

In recent years, Russia has dispatched various naval assets to African ports as part of a broader push to deepen military cooperation and maritime outreach.

In October, the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov docked at the port of Bizerte in Tunisia to mark the 100th anniversary of a stay in Tunisia by the Russian squadron.

Last June, two Russian warships, the Slava-class guided missile cruiser Varyag and the Udaloy-class frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, arrived at the Libyan naval base in order to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the two countries’ fleets.

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