Baltic Fleet Deployments - Wk 47/2020

 November 16

Project 160 Altay class replenishment oiler RFS Kola passed the Great Belt Bridge at 08:22 local time. The vessel was photographed on a northbound course out of the Baltic Sea. Russian sources did not report where the vessel would be heading to. It is possible that she is heading towards the North Sea to supply the Udaloy class destroyer RFS Kulakov which is heading from the Pas-de-Calais towards the Barents Sea but this is yet to be confirmed.

Over 500 NCOs, most of the sergeants leading sections, crews and teams, have started training to increase their professional skills. Special attention will be given to on combat training, observance of the standing rules during service time and the management of company. Special attention will be paid to the development of command qualities in the upbringing and the training of subordinates. [1]

Demolition units of the Baltic Fleet and Caspian Flotilla were engaged in a friendly competition which involved their naval demolition teams. Exercises centered on how to destroy obstacles or sea mines washed ashore with the use of explosions. Due to the dangerous nature of this competition, no outsiders were allowed to spectate the event. [2]

November 17

Steregushchy class corvette RFS Steregushchy held a anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare exercise at an unspecified location in the North Sea. Naval Infantry embarked on the corvette also held anti-terrorism drills while the corvette is at anchor. [3] [4]

November 18

Pilots of the naval aviation regiment completed a course in night time refueling over the Kaliningrad Region. Over 10 aircraft, identified as Su-30SM fighters and Su-24 bombers, refueled from Il-78 tankers during the night. The refueling was done both individually as in pairs. Only 1st and 2nd class pilots, those with over 400 hours of fly time, are allowed to refuel. Trained pilots make eight to ten connections together with an instructor before making three to four connections independently.

The refueling procedure is allegedly done at altitudes between 2,000 and 5,000 meters with an airspeed between 500 to 600 km/h. [5]

November 19

Stormy weather conditions are reported in the Baltic Sea with a west-southwestern wind reaching speeds of 20 meters per second and a sea state 5 condition. Training schedules of the Baltic Fleet have been altered and precautions against the storm taken. These precautions include an increase of the watch duties, pressurization of the vessels, securing materials inside the ship and putting the emergency services and tug boats on high alert. [6]

November 20 

A Stereguschy class corvette, presumably the RFS Steregushchy, passed the Great Belt Bridge at 11:20 Zulu. The vessel was on a southbound course, entering the Baltic Sea. [7]

November 21

Project 22800 Karakurt class corvette RFS Odintsovo has been officially accepted into the Baltic Fleet following the flag raising ceremony at Baltiysk. The vessel is equipped with the Pantsir-M air defense system. and Kalibr cruise missiles. [10] [11]

Northern Fleet Project 23130 replenishment oiler RFS Akademik Pashin passed the Great Belt Bridge around 09:25 local time. the vessel was southbound entering the Baltic Sea. [8]

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that this year, over 1.000 people in Kaliningrad have applied to serve the Russian armed forces under contract. Around 450 of these applicants have already joined military formations in the Baltic Fleet and Western Military District as professional soldiers, compared to conscripted forces. Another 350 applications are currently under consideration. [9]

November 22

Reconnaissance units of the Naval Infantry were involved in a training mission to infiltrate a special forces group who had penetrated the Kaliningrad Region. According to the training scenario, a sabotage and reconnaissance unit of a conventional enemy (a Russian term mostly referring to hostile special forces) had infiltrated on the coastline at Khmelevka and was heading deeper into the Kaliningrad Region. The Marines were instructed to conduct an ambush against these special forces and destroy it with small arms fire and vehicles mounted weapons.

Additional tasks trained during this exercise involved training on how to take prisoners, disabling and jamming enemy communications, navigation with the use of the GLONASS satellite navigation system and the conduct of reconnaissance patrols.

The ambush was conducted with machine gun fire, sniper fire and the weapons mounted on board of the BTR-82A APC.

Snipers had the additional training in camouflage and hunting down enemy snipers present in the simulated special forces group. [12]

The naval aviation regiment completed its air-refueling training which started on November 18. Over 10 aircraft trained in refueling from an Il-78 airborne tanker during the day and noght, both as single aircraft and part of pair. [13] [14]

Around 150 military conscripts from the Arkhangelsk Region were flown to Kaliningrad in a Il-76 military transport aircraft. The conscripts will reportedly serve with the Baltic Fleet for the duration of one year. [14]