The ministry’s board meeting discussed, in particular, the fulfillment of the Northern Fleet’s plan of activity for 2019-2025.

"The trials of new armament, including hypersonic weapons, continue. All this will make it possible to qualitatively boost the combat potential of the Russian Navy’s Northern and other fleets," Shoigu told the ministry’s board meeting.

Russia test-launched its Tsirkon hypersonic missile from a ship for the first time when the Project 22350 frigate Admiral Gorshkov fired the weapon from the Barents Sea against a ground target in January, two sources in defense circles of Russia’s North-Western Federal District told TASS on Thursday.

"In accordance with the program of the Tsirkon’s state trials, the Admiral Gorshkov test-launched this missile from the Barents Sea against a ground target at one of military testing ranges of the Northern Urals in early January," one of the sources said.

The other source confirmed this information, noting that "the range of the Tsirkon’s flight exceeded 500 km."

The source added that the test-launches of the Tsirkon hypersonic missile from seaborne delivery vehicles would be continued in 2020. "After the program of test-launches from the board of the Admiral Gorshkov is over, these missiles will be test-fired from nuclear-powered submarines," the source commented.