Russian Navy Deploys Stoikiy Corvette For Joint Drill With Iran Near Key Global Oil Route

A Russian Navy corvette from the Baltic Fleet carried out a bilateral naval exercise with Iranian warships in the Gulf of Oman on February 18, according to Army Recognition, which cited Russia’s state news agency TASS and the Baltic Fleet press service.

The Steregushchiy-class corvette Stoikiy conducted a passing exercise (PASSEX) with Iranian Navy surface combatants after a port call in Bandar Abbas. The drill took place near the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime corridor linking the Persian Gulf to global energy markets.

Army Recognition, citing TASS and the Baltic Fleet press service, reported that Stoikiy operated alongside Iranian vessels identified as the frigate Alvand, the missile craft Neyze, and the corvette Shahid Sayyad Shirazi.

The exercise was described as a PASSEX—an at-sea engagement typically limited to seamanship, communications, and coordination drills rather than integrated combat operations or unified command structures.

The reported training focused on coordinated maneuvering, navigational safety, and maritime traffic deconfliction in a high-density shipping environment. Such drills generally include bridge-to-bridge communications, signaling procedures, formation sailing, and compliance with international collision-avoidance regulations.

The outlet noted that PASSEX activities are designed to enhance procedural coordination rather than establish a combined operational task force.

Stoikiy is a Project 20380 Steregushchiy-class corvette commissioned in 2014 and assigned to Russia’s Baltic Fleet. The platform is equipped for anti-surface, anti-air, and anti-submarine warfare.

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Open-source specifications cited by the outlet indicate that the vessel can carry an A-190 100 mm naval gun, Kh-35 Uran anti-ship missiles, the Redut vertical launch air-defense system, and the Paket-NK anti-submarine complex.

The corvette can also operate a Ka-27 helicopter, extending its surveillance and anti-submarine capabilities. The specific weapons configuration during the exercise was not detailed.

Army Recognition further reported that the Iranian corvette Shahid Sayyad Shirazi was recently associated with air-defense testing in the same maritime theater.

On February 17, footage circulated of what was described as the first naval launch of a Sayyad-3 variant, designated “Sayyad-3G,” reportedly conducted from the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The missile’s engagement range was described as approximately 150 kilometers.

While the PASSEX was characterized as a limited-scope naval interaction, its location near the Strait of Hormuz carries strategic significance. The waterway remains one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, with sustained US and allied naval presence and regular freedom of navigation operations.

Earlier on February 18, UK Defence Journal reported a significant surge in US military air activity across Europe and the Middle East, describing it as the “largest US build-up of kit since the Gulf Wars.”

Citing publicly available flight-tracking data, the outlet noted intensified movements of F-35s linked to RAF Lakenheath, alongside F-16s, F-22s, E-3 Sentry aircraft, E-11A platforms, and multiple aerial refueling tankers, indicating a broader and sustained deployment posture amid heightened tensions over Iran.

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