Russian Navy - News and Analysis

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of April 30 Weekly Brief A significant portion of the task force has returned towards the port of Tartus in Syria. The vessels involved suggest that at least one surface action group has returned. The presence of a Slava class cruiser, an Udaloy class destroyer and the fleet oiler Boris Butoma suggests that these are the vessels of the Pacific Fleet. The Udaloy class destroyer however is believed to be the Vice-Admiral Kulakov but this is not yet verified by other sources. Daily Events April 25 Several vessels belonging to the task force were observed inside and around the port of Tatrus, Syria. The vessels inside the harbor were identified as a Udaloy class destroyer, Buyan-M class corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo, a Kilo class submarine, logistic support vessel Vice-Admiral Paromov and rescue tug Sergey Balk. The vessels outside of the port were identified as a Slava class cruiser, Alexandrit class minehunter Vladimir Emelyanov and t

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of April 22 Weekly Brief No changes in the deployment of the task force were observed as Russia keeps holding two Surface Action Groups (SAG) near Crete. The SAG centered on the warships of the Pacific Fleet are reported north of Crete where they interdict the entrance into the Aegean Sea. The southern SAG is interdicting the approaches towards the Levant. Repair vessel PM-82 ventured out towards Crete, possibly for an intervention. With both SAGs being deployed this long at sea, the changes of mechanical breakdowns are increasing. Daily Events April 17 Amur class repair vessel PM-82 departed Tartus, Syria, during the morning [ 1 ]. April 18 Amur class repair vessel PM-82 headed westwards into the Eastern Mediterranean [ 2 ]. Fleet tanker Vyazma is reported in a position southeast of Crete and allegedly heading towards the surface action group centered on the Slava class cruiser Marshal Ustinov [ 3 ]. April 19 PM-82, a repair v

On the evening of April 13 the Slava class cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, was reportedly struck by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles. The details the attacks are unavailable to obtain through OSINT and in the 24 hours following the attack several pieces of information and speculation have come to attention that allows us to piece together the broad lines of the attack and its aftermath. The Slava class cruiser Moskva operated in the vicinity of Snake Island. This area has been her standard area of operations since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. From this position, the vessel is able to dominate the maritime approaches towards the Ukrainian coast, most notably towards Odessa. The cruiser is also equipped with a battery of 64 S-300F surface to air missiles, allowing it to set up an zone in which Ukrainian aircraft are at risk of operating. It is unknown if the cruiser was operating on its own or if she was near other vessels that acted as an escort

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of April 16 Weekly Brief The supporting logistical vessels all returned back towards the port of Tartus, Syria, during the weekend. There presence in Tartus also means that no logistic support can be provided to the Russian warships still at sea and on patrol in the Eastern Mediterranean. Both Surface Action Groups are still presumed at sea with the Admiral Tributs presumably operating north of Souda Bay on April 12. The destroyer is part of the SAG centered on the Slava class cruiser Varyag. The second SAG has not reported but is believed to be in the area south of Crete were it has been patrolling for several days. Daily Events April 09 Amur class repair vessel PM-82 arrived in the port of Tartus, Syria [ 1 ]. April 10 The last AIS signal of fleet tanker Vyazma puts in inside the harbor of Tartus, Syria. The AIS signal was received at 04:27 UTC. Logistic support vessel Vice-Admiral Paromov was last reported in the Port of Tar

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of April 09 Weekly Brief With the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman still operating in the Ionian Sea, most surface warships of the Mediterranean Task Force continue to be centered around the western part of Crete from where they can trail and shadow the carrier and its escorts. With the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle completing its Clemenceau 2022 exercise and returning to port, I expect the Russian Navy to retire one surface action group to Tartus for much needed rest, resupply and repairs. It appears that one of the two Kilo class submarines operating in the Mediterranean suffered mechanical breakdowns that required the intervention of the specialized repair vessel PM-82. Only on April 08 did PM-82 start to return back towards Tartus after spending eleven days near Crete. Daily Events April 02 Rescue tug Sergei Balk is reported 80 nautical miles north of Haifa at 1200Z. The vessel most likely made contact with an