Russian Navy could buy Ukrainian cruiser

28.06.2010 Russian Navy investigates the possibility of buying Ukrainian uncompleted missile cruiser Ukraina (Project 1164, formerly named Admiral Lobov), reported RIA Novosti citing Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief.

The issue of the cruiser's completion and possible sell to Russia was discussed last Thursday in Sevastopol at the session of Russian-Ukrainian intergovernmental commission.

"We agreed with Ukrainian party that till the next session in the fourth quarter of 2010 we would study all options for the ship's future and make our proposals", said the commander.

As for now, the cruiser is 50% ready and in need of 15 bln RUR for completion or 35 bln RUR including modernization, reported RIA Novosti referring to the Navy's top-ranking official.

"That sum is enough to buy four Project 636 diesel submarines or Project 20380 frigates for Russian Navy", said the source. At the same time the Navy's official said that Russia could decide to purchase the ship in the context of reanimation of good-neighborly relations.

When being a leader of Ukrainian opposition, Viktor Yanukovich repeatedly told about necessity to complete the cruiser in cooperation with Russia.

Construction of missile cruiser Ukraina (then Admiral Lobov) was started in 1984 at 61 Kommunara Shipyard (Nikolayev) by order of Soviet Navy. Since 1992 Ukrainian defense ministry had been assigning money to build the cruise. In Apr 2005 defense ministers of the two countries agreed to shut down the works because neither Russia nor Ukraine was in need of the cruiser.

The cruiser's displacement is 11,280 tons; length is 187 meters; beam is 20 meters; operating range is 7,500 miles; speed is 32 knots; crew is 350; primary weapon is Bazalt antiship cruise missiles with firing range of 550 km and Fort SAM system (shipborne version of S-300).

Russian Navy presently has three ships of his project in the inventory: Moskva (Black Sea Fleet flagship, formerly named Slava), Varyag (Pacific Fleet flagship), and Marshal Ustinov (Northern Fleet).