Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk46/2022
Task Force Composition
Weekly Brief
The Russian task force is currently operating without a dedicated repair vessel to sustain long distance and duration deployments as the Amur class repair vessel PM-82 departed the region. Passage through the Strait of Gibraltar was not observed and the vessels was only spotted again once it was already in the Bay of Biscay.
In the past, an Amur class repair vessel of the Black Sea would take over the role of support ship in the Mediterranean however, the closure of the Turkish Straits prevents the Black Sea from sending warships to the Mediterranean.
Most vessels were confined to port at the beginning of the week, with the exception of both Steregushchy class corvettes which were absent from Tartus on November 14.
Daily Events
November 14
Amur class repair vessel PM-82 has been reported in the Bay of Biskay making a northbound transit. The vessel is most likely heading back towards its home base at Baltiysk, Kaliningrad [1].
Satelite imagery of the port of Tartus showed several Russian vessels being moored inside the harbor. The vessels were identified as the Improved Kilo class submarine Krasnodar, the Admiral Gorshkov class frigate Admiral Kasatonov, the Buyan M class corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo, the Aleksandrit class minehunter Vladimir Emelyanov and the fleet oiler Akademik Pashin [2].