Baltic Fleet Deployments - Wk 35/2020

 August 24

Artillery units in Kaliningrad held around 20 live firing exercises against simulated hostile targets. The exercise, which involved over 700 military personnel and 150 pieces of equipment, was conducted with 152mm 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled guns as well as Smerch and Grad multiple launch rocket systems. Mi-24 and M-8 helicopters of the Baltic Fleet naval aviation regiment acted as spotters aircraft, providing the artillery men with target coordinates as well as adjustments. [1]

Russian Su-27 fighter aircraft intercepted three aircraft over the Baltic Sea as they approached Russian airspace. The intercepted aircraft are reported as a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, a Swedish Air Force's Gulf Stream reconnaissance aircraft and an Orion maritime patrol aircraft of the German Navy. The Su-27 broke off the intercept once these aircraft turned away from Russian airspace. [1] [2]

August 25

Ropucha class landing ships RFS Kaliningrad, RFS Korolev and RFS Minsk left the port of Baltiysk and are heading towards the Saint Petersburg Region. All three vessels are loaded with units of the Naval Infantry and their BTR-82A armored personnel carriers as part of a large scale training with the 6th Combined Arms Army. Minesweepers escorted the LSTs and made sure that the route taken was clear of old unexploded ammunition and sea mines. Once in the Saint Petersburg Region, the marines will conduct operations against a simulated non-state actor. [1] [2] [3]

Several unexploded ammunition from the Second World War were found in the forest near Pavlovo. Engineer units dismantled three 76mm, one 57mm and one 30mm artillery shell as well as two 82mm mortar shells and two fuses. Once dismantled, the ammunition was brought to a military training ground for subsequent destruction. [1]

August 26

Three ships belonging to the Baltic Fleet took part in an anti-submarine exercise in the Baltic Fleet. Steregushchy class frigate RFS Stoikiy and Parchim class anti-submarine corvettes RFS Aleksin and RFS Kabardino-Balkaria hunted the simulated hostile submarine together with Ka-27PL helicopters. The ships tracked the submarine through the use of their radar and sonar sensors. Once located and tracked, the target was eliminated through the use of the RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers.

All three ships reportedly also took part in an anti-air exercise and eliminated an airborne target allegedly launched from an Akatsiya artillery system. [1] [2]

August 27

Baltic Fleet Naval Infantry conducted a training assault on the Island of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland. The marines attacked positions occupied by motor rifle troops. According to Russian sources, the marines also used of Mi-8 helicopters during the assault. [1]

A large scale military exercise took place near Pravdinsky in the Kaliningrad Region. Motorized rifle and tank units held a combined arms exercise which resulted in the attack against a simulated enemy front line. In total, around 2.000 soldiers and 200 pieces of military equipment took part in the exercise. Over 16 aircraft and helicopters, including Su-24 bomber aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters, provided air support. Artillery units were composed of both conventional and rocket artillery.
The units reportedly pushed back their the enemy forces towards a position from which a direct attack against the Russian forces was no longer possible. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were used to adjust artillery fire and locate enemy positions. [1] [2]

Engineer units defused around 31 pieces of unexploded ammunition found in the forest near the village of  Pavlovo. The ammunition was identified as 27 75mm artillery shells, one 88mm shell, an RGD-42 grenade, one panzerfaust and the fuse for artillery shells. Once defused, the ammunition was transported to a military training ground for subsequent destruction.

August 28

Two Su-27 fighter aircraft intercepted an US B-52H bomber over the Baltic Sea. The Russian aircraft were scrambled as the US bomber reportedly approached Russian airspace. Once airborne, the aircraft intercepted the bomber and stayed near it until it turned away from the Russian border. [1]

August 29

Buyan-M class missile corvette RFS Zeleny Dol launched a Kalibr cruise missile in the White Sea towards the missile ranges at Chizha. The missile reportedly hit a simulated coastal target it had targeted. The corvette reached the White Sea by passing through the Neva, Lake Ladoga and the Baltic-White Sea Canal. [1]

Baltic Fleet Naval Infantry reportedly landed on the coast near Lomonosov in the Saint Petersburg Region as part of large scale exercise with the 6th Combined Arms Army. The marines were transported in the Ropucha class landing ships RFS Korolev, RFS Kaliningrad and RFS Minsk. The marines proceeded towards the Kirillovsky training ground following their amphibious landing. [1]

August 30

Russia sources did not report any military deployments inside Kaliningrad or on the Baltic Sea.