Russian Navy - News and Analysis

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Sep-28 Weekly Brief Weapons runner Ursa Major has reappeared in the Mediterranean. The vessel is known to transport military equipment from Syria towards Saint Petersburg but occasionally also supplies other Russian allies within the region. OSINT source were unable to report any activity regarding the task force itself. Daily Events September 24 Weapons runner Ursa Major was reported in the Strait of Gibraltar, entering the Mediterranean [ 1 ].

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Sep-21 Weekly Brief Improved Kilo class submarine Novorossiysk has arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus. The location of the submarine went unreported for over a week since the sub was last observed near the Portuguese coast. The arrival of the Novorossiysk will not result in the departure of the submarine Ufa. Kilo class submarine tend to be present in the Mediterranean for about a year, meaning that the Ufa has about three months left to go before departing to Vladivostok. At the moment there are also no dedicated escorts to transfer the Ufa from Tartus to Russia's Far East. Daily Events September 19 Satellite imagery of the port of Tartus confirmed the presence of Improved Kilo class submarines Ufa and Novorossiysk, frigate Admiral Grigorovich, corvette Merkury and fleet oiler Yelnya [ 1 ].

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Sep-14 Weekly Brief The task force, with the exception of the fleet oiler Yelnya, departed the port of Tartus. It is unknown why the task force left in full force but this activity might be linked to the Russian Okean-2024 exercise that is ongoing in this week. Improved Kilo class submarine Novorossiysk was last reported near Cape St Vincent but any updates about its current location are unknown. The submarine is expected to enter the Mediterranean and reinforce the task force. Daily Events September 11 Satellite imagery of the port of Tartus confirmed the presence of fleet oiler Yelnya [ 1 ].

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Sep-07 Weekly Brief Fleet oiler Akademik Pashin, most likely escorted by the frigate Neustrashimy, unexpectedly departed the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. Their destination was not reported though several Russian interests are present in the region such as Sudan, Yemen and Iran. A long term Indian Ocean deployment appears to be unlikely since these deployments are almost always handled by vessels of Russia's Pacific Fleet. Improved Kilo class submarine Novorossiysk has been closing in on the Strait of Gibraltar. The submarine and her escorts could be entering the Mediterranean in Week 37. Daily Events September 02 Fleet oiler Akademik Pashin is reported 120 to 140 nautical miles from the entrance of the Suez Canal. The vessel is escorted by an unidentified frigate [ 1 ]. September 03 Satellite imagery of the port of Tartus confirmed the presence of Improved Kilo class submarine Ufa, frigate Admiral Grigorovich, Stere...

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Aug-31 Weekly Brief Limited activity inside the Mediterranean as the Russian Navy is deploying in the near vicinty. Amphibious landing vessel Ivan Grenn is heading back from Arica after deploying military personnel to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea [ a ] while Black Sea Fleet Improved Kilo class submarine Novorossiysk is most likely heading towards the Mediterranean after departing the Baltic Sea on August 29th [ b ]. Daily Events August 26 The Pioneer, a sanctioned LNG tanker, was observed transferring Russian LNG to the New Energy tanker at an undisclosed location in the Mediterranean [ 1 ]. August 27 Satellite imagery of the port of Tartus confirmed the presence of Improved Kilo class submarine Ufa, frigate Admiral Gorshkov, fleet oiler Akademik Pashin and rescue tug Alatau [ 2 ].

Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Aug-24 Weekly Brief A significant increase took place during this week with the arrival of a third frigate, the Neustrashimy. The Mediterranean task force currently operates the most capable frigates of the Baltic, Northern and Black Sea Fleets. Though the Neustrashimy lacks modern weaponry in the form of vertical launch cells equipped with Kalibr and Tsirkon missiles, it nevertheless brings surface and anti-submarine warfare capabilities to the task force. Daily Events August 17 Satellite imagery of Tartus showed the presence of Improved Kilo class submarine Ufa, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the fleet oiler Akademik Pashin. Oiler Yaz was observed as well delivering fuel [ 1 ]. August 18 Frigate Neustrashimy and fleet oiler Yelnya are reported in the Strait of Gibraltar and entering the Mediterranean [ 2 ]. August 20 Logistic support vessel Vice-Admiral Paromov passed through the Strait of Gibraltar around 2200 local tim...

August 07 The Artic Group held an anti-submarine exercise in the eastern part of the Barents Sea with the frigate Admiral Kulakov launching her Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter. The helicopter deployed her dipping sonar during this exercise [ link ]. The vessels of the Artic Group were observed sailing in various formations during this exercise [ link ]. August 13 The Admiral Kulakov & Alexander Otrakovsky arrived at the settlement of Dudinka with the Admiral Kulakov being moored and the Alexander Otrakovsky located in the middle of the Yenisei river [ link ]. Fleet oiler Sergey Osipov and rescue tug Altay were observed south of Dikson, most likely at anchor [ link ].