Russian Navy - News and Analysis

On March 20th, 2024; Russia's Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu announced the creation of a so-called Dnieper Flotilla with a brigade of river boats by the end of 2024 [ 1 ]. The exact size and composition of the flotilla was not disclosed at this point, leaving a lot of room for speculation. At this point the declaration to create a Dnieper Flotilla fits within Russia's plans to expand its military organization and further cement its presence in Ukraine and dominance of the Black Sea.  Naval units and tactics Current publications indicate that the Dnieper Flotilla will be equipped with smaller craft operated by Russia's naval forces such as assault and patrol boats and will not include larger vessels such as corvettes or patrol craft such as the Bykov class. Assault and patrol boats can give the Dnieper Flotilla the necessary maneuverability in the maritime domain to protect the entrance of the Dnieper River as well as patrol the approaches of Crimea. 120 Nautical Mile ran...

On July 11th, two Ropucha class landing vessels were used in a civilian role ferrying civilian traffic across the Kerch Strait. This use of amphibious landing vessels breaks a pattern, namely the use of these vessels to transport heavy military equipment from Novorossiysk towards Sevastopol in support of Russian military logistics for the troops fighting in southern Ukraine. It also raises questions with regards to the Kerch Bridge. If civilian traffic needs to be diverted and transported across the Kerch Strait by amphibious landing vessels, could this indicate that the bridge is facing severe limitations in the amount of traffic it can support? Background Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Navy significantly increased the amphibious lift capacity of the Black Sea Fleet. This increase was done by transferring three Ropucha class landing vessels of both the Northern Fleet as the Baltic Fleet. These six vessels entered the Black Sea o n February 8th, 2022 and have r...

On the evening of April 13 the Slava class cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, was reportedly struck by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles. The details the attacks are unavailable to obtain through OSINT and in the 24 hours following the attack several pieces of information and speculation have come to attention that allows us to piece together the broad lines of the attack and its aftermath. The Slava class cruiser Moskva operated in the vicinity of Snake Island. This area has been her standard area of operations since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. From this position, the vessel is able to dominate the maritime approaches towards the Ukrainian coast, most notably towards Odessa. The cruiser is also equipped with a battery of 64 S-300F surface to air missiles, allowing it to set up an zone in which Ukrainian aircraft are at risk of operating. It is unknown if the cruiser was operating on its own or if she was near other vessels that acted as an escort...

March 17, 2022 At least six Russian warships were observed near Odessa. The warships maintained their distance and operated on the horizon. March 16, 2022 Several vessels entered the port of Sevastopol including the patrol vessel Vasily Bykov. The Bykov was rumored to be struck and sunk by a Ukrainian grad MLRS barrage near Odessa on March 07 dough this was never officially confirmed.  The visual confirmation of the vessel entering the port of Sevastopol undamaged indicates that if an MLRS attack took place, it did not struck the Bykov. Ropucha class landing vessel Kondopoga of the northern fleet allegedly also entered the port of Sevastopol. March 15, 2022 Several Russian warships and landing ships were spotted on commercial satellite imagery during the morning hours. The vessels were heading in the direction of Odessa.  The vessel leading the formation of landing ships appears to be minesweeper with her sweeping array deployed. During the evening, around 90 missiles were rep...

  Daily Events February 21 An unidentified Ropucha class  landing vessel was spotted at the Opuk training ground [ 1 ]. February 22 Firefighting vessel PGS-123 operates in an area northwest of Crimea [ 2 ]. Slava class cruiser Moskva and Buyan-M class corvette Grayvoron reportedly departed the naval base of Sevastopol during the morning [ 3 ]. Grigorovich class frigate Admiral Essen conducted an air defense exercise in the Black Sea. The vessel conducted electronic launches of its air defense missile systems during the exercise. Later on, the ship mounted Ka-27PL helicopter was used in flight deck operations. The helicopter performed several take offs and landings while the vessel was stationary and on the move [ 4 ] [ 5 ]. February 23 Yug class hydrographic vessel Donuzlav is reported in the northwestern sector of the Black Sea during the morning. The vessel appears to be collecting meteorologic data [ 6 ]. The vessel reportedly left this area somewhere during the afternoon [...

Fleet Overview Weekly Brief Russian naval forces in the Black Sea spent the week concentrating their amphibious landing capacity and escorting forces in the northern parts of the Black Sea. A large group is concentrated at Lake Donuzlav in the northwestern sector. This group has the carrying capacity of roughly two to three battalion tactical groups. By the end of the week, a second amphibious task group capably of transporting a small battalion has been observed entering the Sea of Azov for exercises. Coastal missile defense systems and naval aviation aircraft spend the week training on how to engage simulated hostile warships operating in the Black Sea. Daily Events February 14 Submarine rescue vessel Kommuna is reported at sea for a special emergency rescue operation. The vessel is training the deployment of the AS-28 deep diving submersible that is used to conduct emergency rescues from submarines in trouble [ 1 ]. An anti-submarine exercise took place with naval aviation and surfa...

Fleet Overview Weekly Brief A significant build-up of amphibious lift capacity took place with the arrival of five Ropucha class and one Ivan Grenn class landing ship arriving in the Black Sea. These vessel, drawn from the Baltic and Northern Fleets, increases the total lift capacity in the Black Sea to one brigade. Several naval exercises took place with the deployment of several capital vessels such as the Slava class cruiser Moskva. Naval activity increase and culminated on February 12 with a massive naval exercise involved around 30 warships and support vessels. Most support vessels are seen moving along the shorelines of the Crimea. Daily Events February 07 Around 200 members of the 810th NI Brigade were involved in a loading exercise at Cossack Bay, Sevastopol. The marines embarked with over 40 pieces of military hardware, most of the BTR-82As, on board of Ropucha class landing vessel Novocherkassk and Saratov class landing vessel Orsk. Later on, the vessels held an amphibious la...

Fleet overview Weekly Brief Normal training routines and transits were reported during the week. Submarine crew training continues to take place with an emphasis on damage control and escape procedures. Daily Events January 31 All vessels that took part in the large naval exercise halfway week 04 were reported back in the naval base of Sevastopol [ 1 ]. This is confirmed by commercial satellite imagery [ 2 ]. February 01 Flight deck operations were held on board of the logistic support vessel Vsevolod Bobrov with a Ka-27PS helicopter performing landings on the flight deck [ 3 ]. Buyan-M class corvette Vishny Volochek returned from a Mediterranean deployment. The vessel moved through the Bosporus during the morning [ 4 ]. February 02 Submarine crews underwent training at the Afalina and Gefest training complexes of the naval base at Novorossiysk. The training involved damage control against flooding, evacuation of wounded personnel and practicing the escape from a submarine through ...

Fleet overview Weekly Brief Significant naval activity was observed when the Black Sea Fleet held a large scale naval exercise in the vicinity of Sevastopol halfway the week. Three different task groups were observed exercising in a wide variety of naval combat tasks. The exercise were part of a larger series of exercises across the entire Russian Navy. Karakurt class vessel Tsirkon and Improved Kilo class submarine Veliky Novgorod continue their qualification tracks with state trails and crew training being held respectivly. Daily Events January 24 PDSS troops were involved in an anti-sabotage exercise at an undisclosed location at the Black Sea. The PDSS detachment used the Kalmar complex to search and locate a group of underwater saboteurs. The detachment was then deployed from a Grachonok class patrol boat and engaged the saboteurs underwater with special small arms. The detachment also inspected the area for the presence of mine-explosive devices [ 1 ]. January 25 Rescue tug Prof ...