Guard inaugural ceremony of 28 young sailors from Black Sea Fleet flagship – Guard missile cruiser Moskva – was held at the 35th Coastal Battery Memorial in Sevastopol.
The servicemen took the Guardsmen Oath in front of the ensign of Guard large ASW ship Krasny Kavkaz which was handed over to the crew of Moskva on May 11, 1998. They received Guard ribbons, badges, and documents from the first commanding officer of Krasny Kavkaz Capt 1 rank (retired) Yury Kruchinin and warfare veteran and writer Capt 1 rank (retired) Vadim Scherbitsky.
Rector of St. Nicolas Church father Sergius and representative of Sevastopol's Muslim community Sultan Yudashev in their speech blessed the young sailors to do military duty honorably and be faithful to the Guardsmen Oath.
After the ceremony, the guardsmen had an excursion over the memorial and received souvenirs from the museum staff.