INTELLIGENCE: Russian Pacific Fleet frigate conducts Kalibr and Uran missile launches in Sea of Japan.

On August 21, 2025, the Russian Pacific Fleet announced that its Project 1155 frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov had successfully launched Kalibr-NK and Uran precision missiles during exercises in the Sea of Japan, as reported by Russian News Agency TASS. The drill, which also involved naval aviation aircraft and drones, underlines Moscow’s intent to demonstrate maritime strike capabilities in a region where U.S., Japanese, and South Korean forces regularly conduct joint maneuvers. This development is particularly significant as regional debates intensify over Japan’s long-standing nuclear principles and as tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to escalate.
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The successful missile firings by the Marshal Shaposhnikov illustrate Russia’s strategy of leveraging modernization to maximize its existing assets while staging high-profile demonstrations of force (Picture source: Russian MoD)

The Marshal Shaposhnikov, originally commissioned in 1985 as an anti-submarine destroyer, underwent a major modernization beginning in 2016 that transformed the vessel into a frigate equipped with modern strike systems. By incorporating Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, capable of engaging land and naval targets at long ranges, and Uran anti-ship missiles, the warship transitioned from a Cold War-era design into a versatile multi-role platform. Its return to active duty in 2021 marked a significant enhancement for the Pacific Fleet, offering a mix of long-range precision strike and coastal defense functions.

Compared to other regional assets, the Kalibr system has been combat-tested extensively in Ukraine and Syria, where it demonstrated both land-attack and anti-ship performance. In contrast, U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers rely on the Tomahawk and Harpoon families of missiles, while Japan is rapidly expanding its Type 12 standoff missile inventory. Russia’s combination of Kalibr and Uran provides layered strike options: the former for long-range engagements up to 1,500 kilometers, the latter for short-to-medium range maritime targets. By integrating both systems into a single platform, Moscow strengthens its ability to operate flexibly against diverse threats in contested waters.

The timing of these drills carries clear strategic weight. Last week, Army Recognition reported on the flyover of Russian Tu-95MS bombers with fighter escorts across the Sea of Japan. That aerial maneuver, coupled with the current naval exercise, signals a deliberate escalation in military signaling. While framed as routine training, these displays send an unmistakable message to Japan, South Korea, and their U.S. ally: Russia remains determined to maintain a deterrent posture in East Asia, even as its forces are deeply engaged in Ukraine.

This dual approach reflects Russia’s evolving strategic calculus. On one hand, Moscow continues to adapt to battlefield realities in Ukraine by modernizing older platforms with contemporary strike systems. On the other, it projects power in the Pacific to remind adversaries of its ability to operate across multiple theaters simultaneously. The use of legacy frigates equipped with new-generation missiles mirrors the use of long-range bombers like the Tu-95, paired with modern escorts, to deliver symbolic yet potent demonstrations of reach.

By conducting missile drills so close to Japanese waters at a time when Tokyo is re-examining its nuclear policies and Washington is intensifying regional security cooperation, Russia underscores its readiness to counterbalance U.S.-led initiatives in the Pacific. The exercises thus go beyond technical training: they reinforce a geopolitical narrative in which Moscow positions itself as both a regional and global power prepared to back North Korea indirectly and contest Western influence across Asia-Pacific sea lanes.

The successful missile firings by the Marshal Shaposhnikov illustrate Russia’s strategy of leveraging modernization to maximize its existing assets while staging high-profile demonstrations of force. In the Sea of Japan, the message is unmistakable, Russia is prepared to challenge adversaries’ presence, complicate U.S.-led regional security planning, and remind its neighbors that even under the strain of war in Ukraine, it retains the capability and intent to operate effectively in the Pacific arena.