Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk52/2023
Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Dec-30 Weekly Brief The deployment of the Improved Kilo class submarine Ufa remains unknown. The submarine arrived at the naval base at Tartus together with the rescue tug Sergey Balk. The submarine will most likely stay in port to allow the crew some rest and recuperation. It is unclear if the submarine will continue her transit towards the Pacific Fleet together with the Sergey Balk or if she will spend a combat patrol of several months in the Eastern Mediterranean. The lack of Russian submarines available suggests the latter. The departure of the fleet oiler Yelnya limits the operational support for the task force. It seems unlikely with only one fleet oiler available that the task force will deploy ships in the Red Sea though it could rely on the harbor facilities at Port Sudan to support such a deployment. Daily Events December 27 Rescue tug Sergey Balk was located 30 nautical miles south of Akrotiri during the afternoo