Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk51/2022

Task Force Composition

As reported by OSINT at the morning of Dec-23


Weekly Brief
Movements of the fleet oiler Akademik Pashin suggest that a small task group composed of both Steregushchy class corvettes is patrolling in the Central Mediterranean. This task force could have briefly entered the Adriatic Sea between December 20th and 21st.

The remainder of the task force continues to show little to no naval activity with the majority of vessels confined to port at Tartus.

Daily Events

December 20
Fleet oiler Akademik Pashin is reported west of Corfu. The vessel might be heading north, entering the Adriatic Sea [1].

Satellite imagery of the naval base at Tartus showed the majority of the task force moored inside the harbor. The vessels present were identified as the Improved Kilo class submarine Krasnodar, the Grigorovich class frigate Admiral Grigorovich, Gorshkov class frigate Admiral Kasatonov, Buyan-M class corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo and the Aleksandrit class minehunter Vladimir Emelyanov [2].

December 21
The AIS signal of fleet oiler Akademik Pashin was observed in the Adriatic Sea halfway between Bari, Italy, and Tirana, Albania. The vessel was heading on a southeastern course, exiting the Adriatic [2].

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