Northeastern Passage Deployment - 2021
August 10
Boris Chilikin class tanker RFS Sergey Osipov departed the port of Severomorsk around 8AM UTC. The vessel will act as support ship for the Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk together with the rescue tug Pamir [1]. All three vessels will be deployed for a two moth long voyage across the Northeastern Passage in the Artic Ocean. Other ships will join the deployment with the Russian Ministry of Defense reporting that, in total, eight ships will take part in the exercise [2] [3]. The deployment will be held under the command of Vice-Admiral Oleg Golubev, the Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet.
All three vessels were reported heading north of Murmansk and into the Barents Sea by 18:50 UTC [4]. It appears that all three vessels are heading towards a training area which is located north of Murmansk and west of Severny island of Nova Zemlya [5]. The training area is closed by NOTAMs for artillery exercises which are to be held between August 11 and 13.
August 16
Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk trained together with the FSB border guard vessel Polyarnaya Zvezda, south of Frans Jozef Land in the Barents Sea. Both vessels operated together to prevent the unauthorized passage of a foreign vessel in Russian waters The role of this foreign vessel was played by the rescue tug Pamir which did not reposed to the inquiries made by both the Russian military and border security. Both vessels deployed their Ka-27 helicopter to provide assistance and to conduct aerial reconnaissance. In the end both vessels fired warning shots along the path of the Pamir [6].
RFS Severomorsk also deployed inspection teams by means of a high-speed boat to the intruding vessel. These teams are most likely made up of Naval Infantry attached to the destroyer.
August 17
The AIS signal of oiler RFS Sergey Osipov is reported west of Spitsbergen and is heading on a northwestern course [7]. Sentinel-2 imagery of 0745Z shows the Osipov and what presumes to be the RFS Severomorks and rescue tug Pamir south of Spitsbergen on a northwestern course [8].
August 18
All three vessels were seen on the Sentinel-2 overpass at 0648Z. All three vessels were southwest of Spitsbergen and heading northwest [9].
The AIS signal of fleet oiler RFS Sergey Osipov was reported at 17:22 UTC. The oiler had traversed course and still southwest of Spitsbergen before turning southwest towards Iceland [10].
August 19
Two vessels were spotted at 74.9N 00.4E on a southwestern course at 0640Z. These are presumed to be the Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk and fleet oiler RFS Sergey Osipov [11]. Both vessels appear to be heading to the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland.
August 20
Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk and fleet oiler RFS Sergey Osipov were once again observed on Sentinel-1 SAR imagery. Both vessels were near the location 71.7N 012.6W at 0724Z. The vessels were heading south, aiming for the north coast of Iceland [12].
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that both vessels were dispatched towards to Northeastern Atlantic Ocean in order to monitor NATO vessels. According to the Russian MoD, an unscheduled air defense exercise is taking place in the northeastern part of the Norwegian Sea. The exercise allegedly involves a US Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyer which left Rota, Spain, on August 10 and arrived in the Norwegian Sea on August 16 [13].
A second sighting was reported at 1754Z, this time at position 69.6N 012.7W. Both vessels were still heading south at this moment [14].
August 21
Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk and fleet oiler RFS Sergey Osipov were once again observed on Sentinel-1 SAR imagery at 0806Z. Both vessels were in position 66.9N 012.9W on a southern course [15].
August 22
Fleet oiler RFS Sergei Osipov was spotted at 0709Z on another Sentinel-1 SAR passage. The vessel is anchored off the Icelandic coast since 1800Z August 21 [16]. Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk was not detected.
Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton, operating as the flag vessel for NATO's SNMG1 was reported southwest of the Faroer Islands and heading up to Iceland [17].
August 23
Sergei Osipov remains at anchor off the Icelandic coast with the Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton operating further south of her. Though the location of the RFS Severomorsk remains unknown, it is presumed that she operates nearby as well [18].
August 25
Sergei Osipov is still reported east of Iceland. The position of the Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severodvinsk remains unknown [19].
August 27
Fleet oiler Sergei Osipov remains east of Iceland [20]. The limited movement suggest that she is once again at anchor.
August 29
A small task force of what appears to be the Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk, fleet oiler RFS Sergey Osipov and rescue tug Pamir were observed in a relative central positon in the Norwegian Sea, halfway between Iceland and Norway. The vessels appear to be heading north towards the Barents Sea and might be tracked by the Canadian Navy warship HMCS Fredericton [21].
August 31
The Russian task force has rounded the North Cape and are heading east into the Barents Sea. NATO's SNMG1 continues to shadow the formation [22].
Around 1650Z, the Russian vessels were north of Berlevag with the NATO warships being observed heading back west [23].
September 03
Fleet oiler Sergei Osipov is heading towards Severomorsk. The oiler most likely will take on fuel and provisions before returning to the Barents Sea and support the deployment of the RFS Severomorsk [24].
September 06
Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk and rescue tug Pamir were involved in a regional security exercise which involved the protection of off-shore installations. Pamir played the part of a vessel intruding the safety zone of an off-shore installation, forcing the RFS Severomorsk to deploy her artillery systems in order to halt the intrusion. A Ka-27 helicopter lifted a naval infantry anti-terror team from the RFS Severomorsk to the off-shore installation. Once landed, the marines eliminated and captured several intruders. The installation was reported to be the platform Prirazlomnaya [25].
September 07
Boris Chilikin-class oiler Sergey Osipov departed the fueling pier of Severodmorsk and headed back towards the Barents Sea [26]. The vessel will most likely keep on supporting the RFS Severodmorsk and rescue tug Pamir.
RFS Severomorsk, rescue tug Pamir and Ropucha class landing vessel RFS Georgy Pobedonosets arrived at the port of Dudinka at the Yenisei River. Local civilians and members of the Young Army organization were invited on board [27].
September 08
Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk is opened for visiting by the residents of Taimyr. Visitations are conducted in groups of 10 people. The vessel will remain open for visiting until September 13 [28].
September 15
Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk, rescue tug Pamir and Ropucha class landing vessel RFS Georgy Pobedonosets have departed the port of Dudinka, two days later then previously announced [29]. The group is heading towards the Kara Sea and will make contact with the Boris Chilikin-class oiler Sergey Osipov which is waiting in the nearby estuary [30].
September 21
Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorsk, Ropucha class landing vessel RFS Georgy Pobedonosets and their escorts have anchored at the Stakhanovtsev Gulf at Kotelny Island. The vessels will scout the island in order to search for beaches that allow amphibious landings and might conduct an exercise in the near future.
During their transit into and passage in the Laptev Sea, the vessels held several exercises such as a rescue training with the rescue tug Pamir, defense of the task force during transit, gunnery exercises against naval and sea targets; and reconnaissance flights with Ka-27 helicopters launched from the RFS Severomorsk. Marines also repelled a simulated attack by high speed boats against the task force with the use of machine guns [31].
September 25
A detachment of the 61st NI Brigade embarked on the Ropucha class landing ship RFS Georgy Pobedonosets held an amphibious landing exercise on Kotelny Island in the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago in the Artic Region. The landing is part of the Artic voyage along the Northern Sea Route that takes place year.
The RFS Georgy Pobedonosets beached herself and allowed the marines and their DT-10 Vityaz tractors to disembark. Live firing of small arms, machine guns and grenade launchers took place against targets simulating troops of a conventional enemy.
The exercise was joined by coastal defense troops stationed at Kotelny Island. At least two Pantsir-S air defense systems took part in the exercise, firing at coastal and air targets at ranges of up to three kilometers. Bastion coastal defense missile systems conducted electronic launches against a detachment of vessels at sea.
The exercise was also supported by Ka-27 helicopters operating from the Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severomorks [32].
September 27
Following their landing exercise at Kotelny Island, the marines embarked on the Ropucha class landing ship RFS Georgy Pobedonosets and departed to Tiksi Bay at Yakutia. The landing ships is escorted by the Udaloy class destroyer RFS Severmorsk as part of the tenth Artic cruise. At Tiski Bay, the marines will train in coastal defense [33].
September 29
The Artic voyage group held a tactical amphibious landing near the village of Tiksi in the Artic Region. The landing took place in bad weather conditions with low temperatures and strong winds. The marines were landed on the beach by the landing vessel RFS Georgy Pobedonosets and embarked as soon as the exercise was over.
The Artic voyage group thereafter set course towards the Kara Sea [34].
October 01
The task force has transited the Vilkitsky Strait and entered the Kara Sea. The transit was done without an icebreaker, although several patches of drifting ice have already formed in this region. Ka-27PS helicopters of the RFS Severomorsk scouted ahead of the task force to monitor the ice conditions. The formation steamed in a line ahead formation with the RFS Severomorsk taking the lead, followed by the RFS Georgy Pobedonosets [35].
