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Photo: Project 11661K corvette
Dagestan leaves covered slipway.
The ship is going to join Caspian Flotilla in the coming spring and along with corvette Tatarstan make a tandem capable to destroy any regional fleet.
"Russian Navy regards new ships as a response to strengthening of Azerbaijani Navy. In the Caspian Sea, basic problem are disputes between Iran and Azerbaijan over oil deposits near the border between the countries. Besides, so far it has not been decided who owns oil fields in the center of the Caspian Sea. The question is how to explore the seabed, i.e. whether to use it jointly or divide by sectors in accordance with coastline", says the report.
Having 28 ships and boats stationed in the Caspian Sea, Russia has advantage in the region despite age of vessels. For instance, Iranian Navy numbers 50 hulls and basically consists of small-size patrol boats designed for anti-poaching and anti-smuggling operations.
