Russian Navy - News and Analysis

Task force composition As reported by OSINT at noon of April 03 Weekly Sitrep The composition of the Russian Task Force in the Mediterranean has been undergoing several changes this week with the arrival and departures of several vessels. Most important is the departure of the Groshkov Class frigate RFS Admiral Kasatonov which is heading back to her naval base at Severomorsk. This leaves Russia with only one frigate available in the Mediterranean. Steregushchy class corvette RFS Stoiky returned in the Mediterranean after being stuck south of the Suez Canal when it was blocked by the merchant vessel Ever Given. This vessel is expected to head back to the Baltic Fleet soon, probably escorting repair vessel PM-82 as the PM-138 makes its way towards the Syrian port of Tartus. One of possibly three Ropucha class landing ships was seen traversing the Aegean Sea and heading towards the Black Sea. It is presumed that this is the Northern Fleet RFS Aleksandr Otrakovsky who might have entere...

Summary In the second half of March, an unusual deployment of Ropucha class landing ship-tank (LST) was observed in the North Sea and Mediterranean. Two separate groups, one of the Northern and Baltic Fleet each, were observed heading into the Mediterranean for an unknown deployment.  The first group to be observed consisted of all three operational active Ropucha's belonging to the Baltic Fleet, escorted by the Steregushchy class corvette RFS Boiky. All four vessels passed the English Channel on March 20, suggesting a normal training cruise up the Atlantic Ocean. However, on March 22 a second group passed through the North Sea and these vessels were identified as the Ropucha class LSTs RFS Aleksandr Otrakovskiy and the RFS Kondopoga under the escort of rescue tug SB-406. This group comprised half of all Ropucha class LSTs in service in the Northern Fleet. Only four of the five Ropucha's were heading to the Mediterranean, with the RFS Minks being spotted heading back into the B...

Task force composition As reported by OSINT on the morning of March 28 Weekly Brief Naval activity dropped during this week with most vessels being back in the port of Tartus, Syria. Grigorovich class frigate RFS Admiral Grigorovich continues to shadow the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group which has been operation near Crete, Greece. Stereguschy class corvette RFS Stoiky and her escorting tanker RFS Kola currently remain stuck south of Suez due to the cargo vessel Ever Given being grounded in the Suez Canal. Both vessels remain waiting to pass the canal and so far did not make any moves to move around Africa. Two Baltic Fleet Ropucha class landings ships have entered the Mediterranean with a possible third one from the Northern Fleet joining them. The Russian Ministry of Defense has yet to make a statement why three Ropucha class vessels are entering the Mediterranean and what their final destination will be. Several online sources speculate that these vessels are bound for Syria. Daily ...

Task force composition As reported by OSINT on the morning of March 21 Weekly Brief Deployment of the Russian task force during this week was largely in response to the presence of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier action group (CAG) in the region of Crete. NATO assets kept a close watch on the transit of the submarine RFS Rostov-on-Don as it passed through the Eisenhower's area of operations. The threat level of this submarine is high given the fact that conventional powered submarines have penetrated the protective screen of US Navy carrier groups in the past and acquired firing solutions on the carrier. Russian surface vessels were spotted of Lebanon on March 16 in what appears to be a naval exercise which involved the majority of the major surface combatants deployed in the Mediterranean minus the two frigates of which one, the RFS Admiral Kasatonov, was deployed near Crete to monitor the Eisenhower CAG. The task force remained largely unchanged with the exception of the dep...

Task force composition As reported by OSINT on the morning of March 14 Weekly Brief Russian naval forces inside the Mediterranean have been substantially reinforced with the arrival of the Improved Kilo Class submarine RFS Rostov-on-Don on the afternoon of March 07 and the return of the frigate RFS Admiral Grigorovich and patrol vessel RFS Dmitri Rogachev from their Indian Ocean deployment. Another change in the task force composition is the arrival of the small tanker RFS Iman and the departure of the rescue tug SB-739. It is unusual for these rescue tugs to leave the Mediterranean without escorting a warship.  The fact that the patrol vessel RFS Dmitri Rogachev was refueling from the sea tanker RFS Vyazma the day after it passed through the Suez Canal, rather than from the SB-739, might suggest that SB-739 has encountered mechanical problems which prevents her from supporting warships. RFS Iman could thus be deployed to the Mediterranean to take over the escorting duties of SB-73...

March 02 Pacific Fleet:   Mortar units of the Pacific Fleet Naval Infantry are still attached to the anti-avalanche center of the Kamchatka Territory and ready to shell preventively shell avalanche-prone areas of the mountainous regions of Ust-Bolsheretsky and Elizovsky municipal areas, the area near the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, as well as near the volcanoes Kozelsky, Vilyuchinsky, Koryaksky and Avachinsky [ 1 ]. Though not specifically mentioned, this unit might be using the 120mm 'Sani' mortar in order to shell avalanche prone mountain slopes as this weapon was previously mentioned during the deployment in February. March 09 Pacific Fleet: Cadets at the Marine Corps Faculty of the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms and Command School (DVOKU), trained in retaking a vessel seized by irregular forces. Several assault groups trained in entering the vessel undetectably and retake control. Two assault teams took part in the exercise with the first creating a diversiona...

Task force composition As reported by OSINT on the morning of March 07 Weekly Brief Russian naval activity increased during this week, mainly in the form of port visits by the RFS Admiral Kasatonov and sea tanker RFS Vyazma. Russian naval forces were briefly suspected of launching missiles towards oil refineries in the Jarabulus in Syria but this was never verified by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Corvette RFS Vyshniy Volochek did however held an air defense exercise at Turtus by the end of the week, though its missile launches were all simulated. Improved Kilo class submarine RFS Rostov on Don is nearing the Strait of Gibraltar and will enter the Mediterranean around the evening of March 07. Daily events February 28 Buyan-M class corvette RFS Orekhovo-Zuevo transited the Bosporus at 1115Z and headed towards the Mediterranean [ 1 ] [ 2 ]. The vessel will replace the corvette RFS Vyshniy Volochek [ 3 ]. March 02 Gorshkov class frigate RFS Admiral Kasatonov has arrived at the Turkish ...