Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk09/2025

Task Force Composition
As reported by OSINT at the morning of Mar-01

Weekly Brief
The Russian task force is split across the Mediterranean, focused on securing the evacuation of military equipment from Tartus, Syria. Clear roles are now established with the frigate Admiral Golovko performing escort duties for loaded vessels from Tartus towards the Strait of Gibraltar. Frigate Admiral Grigorovich is patrolling near Tartus, securing the maritime area and being on stand-by to provide assistance to the Russian forces still present in Syria.

Daily Events
February 25
Satellite imagery of the port of Tartus revealed the presence of the cargo vessel Sparta IV inside the harbor and the frigate Admiral Grigorovich operating nearby the port [1].

February 26
Satellite imagery of the Alboran Sea shows what could be the frigate Admiral Golovko on an eastern course. The frigate might have escorted the cargo vessel Baltic Leader towards the Strait of Gibraltar [2]. Spanish patrol vessel Audaz released pictures of frigate Admiral Golovko operating in the Alboran Sea [3].

Russian cargo vessel Baltic Leader passed the Strait of Gibraltar and left the Mediterranean [4].

Popular posts from this blog

The Russian Navy and the fall of Tartus

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...
Read more

Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk49/2024

Image
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 ...
Read more

Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk48/2024

Image
Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Nov-27 Weekly Brief A new intelligence collection vessel, the Yantar, has entered the Mediterranean. Since the vessel operates without an escort, a refueling stop at Algiers was expected in order for the vessel to reach the Eastern Mediterranean. The vessel is designed as an oceanographic vessel meaning that she is specialized in mapping the undersea environment. Russia uses these vessels to locate and map underwater infrastructure such as data cables. Over the next months, the Yantar will be operating in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. Daily Events November 25 Intelligence collection vessel Yantar passed the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean [ 1 ]. November 26 Sanctioned Russian cargo vessel Lady Mariia passed the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Atlantic Ocean. The vessel is known for transporting weapons and military equipment [ 2 ]. November 27 The intelligence collection vessel Yantar reportedl...
Read more