Russian Navy - News and Analysis

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Dec-28 Weekly Brief The weapons runner Ursa Major sank this week near the Strait of Gibraltar as a result of an explosion in the engine room. The vessel was rumored to be used for a maritime evacuation but analysis of the cargo reveals that it was indeed heading towards Vladivostok. The vessel transported two 45ton hatches to be used for the construction of a nuclear powered icebreaker as well as two cranes to be used in the port of Vladivostok. The reason of the explosion is unknown. Additional vessels associated with a possible maritime evacuation have been reported entering the Mediterranean. These vessels are the Ivan Grenn and the Aleksandr Otrakovskiy. They entered via the Strait of Gibraltar together with the weapons runner Sparta. Daily Events December 22 Ivan Grenn class amphibious landing vessel Ivan Grenn and Ropucha class landing vessel Aleksandr Otrakovskiy have entered the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gi...

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Dec-21 Weekly Brief Overal Status:  The Russian task force remains in place of the Syrian Coast near the port of Tartus, largely staying out of the territorial waters of Syria. It appears that the task force remains in place to cover the Russian withdrawal from the region. At the same time, military equipment and vehicles are accumulating in Tartus in anticipation of a seaborn evacuation. Departure Admiral Gorshkov : The frigate Admiral Gorshkov departed the Mediterranean, completing her regular deployment in the Mediterranean. The vessel was escorted by the fleet oiler Yelnya past Oran. Most likely the frigate took on fuel before passing the Strait of Gibraltar and returning back to the Northern Fleet. Fleet oiler Yelnya subsequently docked in Algiers for a port visit, most likely taking on more fuel to sustain future operations in the Mediterranean. Syrian Express: More and more vessels appear to be converting to evacu...

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Dec-14 Weekly Brief The Russian Mediterranean Task Force spend the past week in a holding pattern near the Syrian territorial waters at Tartus. This holding pattern confirms rumors at the beginning of the week that the Russians were negotiating with the Syrian Rebels to continue a Russian military presence in Latakia province. However, as of the second half of the week, there are signs that these negotiations have failed and that Russia is starting to evacuate form Syria. Additional air transports are rumored to start flying Russian military equipment out of Syria. At the same time, the weapon runners Sparta and Ursa Major have left Russia and are heading, according to their AIS, to Port Said and Vladivostok respectively. We can expect both vessels to make a last moment  change and head to Tartus to load up Russian military equipment. Satellite imagery shows a build up of bulk storage at the former Russian military dock ...

With the fall of the Al-Assad regime in Syria, the Syrian rebels allegedly gave Russia 48 hours to vacate their military presence in the naval base at Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase. It seems unlikely that Russia can broker a diplomatic deal to remain present in Tartus. It is expected that Russia will have to vacate its naval presence somewhere at the beginning of week 50. As such, the Russian Navy will now have to look what options, if any, it has to maintain some sort of maritime presence in the Mediterranean. Why Tartus mattered The geographic location of Tartus made it an important strategic position for Russia. Located at the very end of the Eastern Mediterranean it was in a region where NATO/western maritime presence was limited compared to the Western and Central parts of the Mediterranean. The closest maritime base of importance for NATO is located at Souda Bay, Crete, which is located at the transition from Central to Eastern Mediterranean. Operating from Tartus meant tha...

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Dec-07 Weekly Brief The Russian Mediterranean Task Force appears to have made a demonstration in force before the departure of the frigate Admiral Gorshkov to her homeport. On December 2nd and 3rd, the entire task force departed the port of Tartus for a large scale naval exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean. The exercise was supported by coastal defense batteries and naval aviation and focused on coastal defense and surface warfare. Given the involvement of several services and the availability of a dedicated simulated surface target, it appears that this exercise was planned and coordinated in advance. This contradicts the general narrative of Week 49 where it was stated that the Russian task force was evacuating the port of Tartus given the fast advance of Syrian rebels in Northern Syria. The behavior of the Russian task force corresponds with previous observed patterns during moments of crisis in the region. The Russian ...