Watching Russian Air & Sea Activity

[AdamG]

Video of what the Russian government claims is merely an “exercise” appears to show a submarine on fire.
The video, shot in the Russian fear eastern city of Vladivostok, shows a large fire and thick, black smoke close to several moored Russian Navy submarines. The Russian government says the fire was part of a planned exercise, but the fire and smoke look way too close to the submarines for comfort.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a15842665/russian-navy-exercise-submarine-fire/

[davidbfpo]

Well, well that is really scary:
The frequency of Russian probes towards British airspace is further cited by Britain's defence lobby as an even scarier indication of that threat. Regular reports of near incursions by those Tu-95 bombers, complete with accompanying videos, were offered as additional proof of Russia’s steady rise to global power (see "Russia and the west: risks of hype (https://opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/russia-syria-and-danger-of-hype)", 6 October 2016).Russia may present many dangers, it may have plenty of nuclear weapons, and may have a leader determined to take risks to make Russia great again – but such reports of its frequent air incursions are anything but true. A recent freedom-of-information request to the UK defence ministry, reported by Jane’s Defence Weekly, shows a rather different state of affairs. In each of the years 2013, 2014 and 2015, the RAF scrambled (https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/typhoon-jets-scrambled-intercept-russian-bombers-off-coast-scotland/) fighters on seventeen, twenty, and twelve days respectively: but many were not in response to Russian sorties, which stood at just eight for each of the years.
Moreover, in 2016 only five of the twelve days of "QRA" launches involved Russian aircraft, and in 2018 the incidence was only three out of six days (see Gareth Jennings, “UK notes marked decrease in number of days QRA intercepts flown against Russian aircraft (http://www.janes.com/article/77818/uk-notes-marked-decrease-in-number-of-days-qra-intercepts-flown-against-russian-aircraft)", Jane's Defence Weekly, 12 February 2018).
Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/mystery-of-russian-planes-that-never-were?

[AdamG]

From January 2018


Russia’s Defense Ministry and the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) have come to an agreement that the Northern Shipyard in St. Petersburg in northwest Russia will start the construction of landing helicopter docks in 2020, a source in Russia’s defense industry told TASS.

https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2018/january-2018-navy-naval-defense-news/5861-shipyard-in-northwest-russia-to-start-building-lhd-in-2020.html

See also

On June 4, 2017, Russia’s state-owned news outlet Sputnik reported that the Ministry of Defense had included the proposed Lavina-class amphibious assault ship in its up-coming modernization plan, which will run through 2025. In 2015, the Krylov State Research Center in St. Petersburg unveiled the design along with that of the highly ambitious Project 23000E Shtorm aircraft carrier.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/11130/russia-says-its-going-to-build-this-new-amphibious-assault-ship

Of parallel interest http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?p=210601#post210601

[AdamG]

Is this the scene in the movie where all the alarm klaxons are going off, ships' crews are scrambling around and they're all slipping their anchor chains? :popcorn:


Russia's Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the recently-released satellite imagery of what appears to be Russian warships being deployed to the Mediterranean from the naval facility at Tartus, Syria, with US vessels en route there, too.

The Israeli-based satellite operator iSi, which had previously released photos of Russia's latest fifth-generation Su-57 jets, stationed at Hmeymim airbase in Syria, has now published two pictures of what the company says to be Russian warships deploying from the Port of Tartus in Syria.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804121063465154-russain-warships-move-out-syria/

[AdamG]

Nifty writeup on Russia's POSEIDON Torpedo


The Poseidon is the largest torpedo ever developed in any country. At around 2 meters (6.5 ft) in diameter and over 20 meters (65 ft) long, it is approximately twice the size of submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and thirty times the size of a regular ‘heavyweight’ torpedo.


As well as submarine launch, there are reports and rumors that Poseidon has a seabed launch option, waiting on the sea floor for as long as necessary. In this mode the system may be known as Skif (Скиф – possibly named after the Scythian nomads who once Eurasian steppes 1500 years ago).
http://www.hisutton.com/Poseidon_Torpedo.html

[AdamG]

While I'm down here,


The Russian Navy has commissioned the long-delayed Admiral Gorshkov, lead ship of the Admiral Gorshkov-class (Project 22350) of guided missile frigates, on July 28 during a ceremony at the Severnaya Verf shipyards in St. Petersburg, a day before the service’s traditional grand naval parade.

The new warship is expected to be deployed with the Russian Navy Northern Fleet’s 43rd Missile Ship Division. The 5,400-ton Admiral Gorshkov is the largest surface combatant to be built by Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to Russian Vice Admiral Viktor Bursuk, the Russian Navy will operate four Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates.

https://thediplomat.com/2018/08/russian-navy-commissions-new-stealth-frigates/

[davidbfpo]

Citing AdamG in part:
The Russian Navy has commissioned the long-delayed Admiral Gorshkov, lead ship of the Admiral Gorshkov-class (Project 22350) of guided missile frigates, on July 28 during a ceremony at the Severnaya Verf shipyards in St. Petersburg, a day before the service’s traditional grand naval parade.

The new warship is expected to be deployed with the Russian Navy Northern Fleet’s 43rd Missile Ship Division. The 5,400-ton Admiral Gorshkov is the largest surface combatant to be built by Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

So after twenty-seven years the Russian navy is having a new ship built; yes the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991. That is a long time for shipyards to be without building new ships, even allowing for overhauls etc one must wonder how many of the work force are still there.

As for Russia's POSEIDON Torpedo, yes it is an interesting write up, but I note this in fact is an old project that gained a new lease of life. The rationale is not that clear to me; does Russia fear its SSBNs are vulnerable when they leave the "protected areas", hence the need for a stand off weapon system? Curious to recall forty years ago the Royal Navy started to experiment with a sealed steam-driven propulsion system (within the traditional sized torpedo).

[AdamG]

Russian warships have passed through the English Channel as Putin's troop's continue to put pressure on the Royal Navy. Russian state media revealed that Russian missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov and anti-submarine destroyer Severomorsk have sailed past Britain on their way to the Atlantic. The report indicated the warships were part of a group heading to the ocean to begin operations following a naval parade for Putin held in Saint Petersburg.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russian-warships-pass-through-english-channel-as-putins-armed-forces-ratchet-up-pressure-on-the-royal-navy

[AdamG]

The 5,400-ton Admiral Gorshkov is the largest surface combatant to be built by Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

=/=

So after twenty-seven years the Russian navy is having a new ship built; yes the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991. That is a long time for shipyards to be without building new ships, even allowing for overhauls etc one must wonder how many of the work force are still there.

The Russians have built many ships since 1991. The Admiral Gorshkov is the largest one.

[AdamG]

NATO confirmed a large scale Russian navy buildup in the Mediterranean Sea off Syria on Tuesday. “The Russian Navy has dispatched substantial naval forces to the Mediterranean, including several ships equipped with modern cruise missiles,” NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu confirmed to Haaretz in a statement.

Russian media on Tuesday called the deployment Moscow's largest naval buildup since it entered the Syrian conflict in 2015. The reinforcement comes as Russia's ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is believed to be considering an assault on the last big rebel-held enclave, Idlib in the north

https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/nato-confirms-russian-naval-build-up-off-syria-as-tensions-rise-1.6429071



As tensions between the U.S. and Moscow in Syria continued to spiral, Russian newspaper Izvestiya reported Tuesday that Russia had sent an unprecedented grouping of 10 ships, mostly armed with Kalibr cruise missiles, and two submarines to the eastern Mediterranean—with more naval assets on the way—in response to an apparent U.S. military buildup in the region.

Russia's Kommersant further reported that Moscow had mobilized two Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile defense systems in Syria and that the country's air defenses had been placed on high alert in anticipation of a potential U.S. assault, which the Russian Defense Ministry has said would come after a "false flag" chemical weapons attack staged by West-backed militants.

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-sends-largest-force-syria-us-prepares-attack-reports-say-1093185

In full for those of you who don't want to visit TASS


MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. A group of warships of the Northern Fleet led by the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov accomplishing missions as part of the Russian Navy’s Mediterranean task force has held planned anti-sabotage drills during its anchorage, Fleet spokesman Captain 1st Rank Vadim Serga said on Wednesday.

"The personnel on watch for anti-submarine and anti-sabotage defense of the cruiser Marshal Ustinov and the large anti-submarine warfare ship Severomorsk fired grenade launchers to prevent an attack by a group of a notional enemy’s underwater sabotage forces and weapons on the warships and vessels," the spokesman said.

The naval personnel also repelled a simulated terrorists’ attack using fast-speed boats and hit small-size naval targets from large-caliber machine-guns. During the anchorage, the warships’ crews also practiced ship damage control, held anti-wreck checks and replenished water and fuel stocks from the tanker Dubna.

Since the start of the long-distance voyage, the warships have covered about 8,000 nautical miles. The Marshal Ustinov and the Severomorsk left the Northern Fleet’s main naval base on July 5, 2018. They took part in Russia’s Main Naval Parade off Kronshtadt and in Baltic Sea maneuvers jointly with the warships of the Russian Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, and also made a business call at the port of the capital of Algeria.


http://tass.com/defense/1019084

[davidbfpo]

Professor Paul Rogers has a short commentary on the current, hyped joint Vostok 2018 exercise. Here is a passage:
Russia has strong assets. It has maintained substantial nuclear forces, undertaken military adventures in Crimea (2014) and Syria (2015), prioritised special forces, and developed the practice of "hybrid warfare (https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/russian-hybrid-warfare/)". In its own terms this is a considerable record, but it does not equate to a transformation that brings Russia's capabilities to parity with the west's. The funds have simply not been available. A prime example is the decline of the Pacific fleet, once powerful but now also ageing and with a tempo of activity to match.

He concludes:
But the evidence also suggests that the western branch of the worldwide military-industrial complex tends to exaggerate (https://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/war-promoting-hydra) the Russian threat in the interest of new orders and big profits. When alarmism about Russia is routine, that must be kept in mind. But so too is the certainty that the Russian branch of this complex, if perhaps on a smaller scale and over a longer period, will be playing the same game.
Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/russia-s-wargame-behind-smoke?

[AdamG]

Moscow (CNN)Syria antiaircraft fire downed a Russian military plane after an Israeli attack on Syrian positions, killing 15 people on board, Moscow said.

Russian state media said Syrian missiles shot the maritime patrol aircraft down amid an attack by Israeli jets in the Latakia region of northwest Syria.
Moscow blamed Israel for putting its aircraft in the line of fire and said it had only a minute's notice of the strike.
"As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen were killed, which is absolutely not in keeping with the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership," said Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian military, according to RIA-Novosti.
In a rare acknowledgment of its military activity in the region, Israel expressed "sorrow" for the loss of Russian life, but blamed the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/17/politics/syrian-regime-shoots-down-russian-plane/index.html

[AdamG]

Marketing campaign -


The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) successfully test-fired a Kh-35U anti-ship missile (ASM) from its Su-34 long-range strike aircraft at a naval test range of the Pacific fleet, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense.
*
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Kh-35U anti-ship missile is designed to destroy surface ships displacing up to 5,000 tonnes and surface targets. The missile has a range of about 250 kilometers.
https://defence-blog.com/news/russia-test-fired-newest-kh-35u-anti-ship-missiles-during-recent-drills.html

[AdamG]

(CNN)America's most senior naval officer in Europe, Adm. James Foggo, said Friday that he was "concerned" about some of Russia's newer and more advanced fleet of submarines.

"Russia is not 10 feet tall but they do have assets that keep me vigilant, concerned. One of them is in the undersea domain," Foggo, the commander of US Naval Forces Europe, told reporters at the Pentagon.

While Foggo said Russia's surface fleet, including its aging aircraft carrier, posed little threat -- saying Moscow did "not have a robust capital ship capability" -- he did express concerns about Russian advancements in its development of submarines and cruise missiles.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/05/politics/us-admiral-russian-submarine-threat/index.html

[AdamG]

Russia says it will block any attempt by Ukraine to host military drills in the Sea of Azov, a strategic waterway where Kiev could soon be operating two newly acquired American warships. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a bilateral treaty with Ukraine prohibits military drills in the area around Azov without a green light from Moscow.
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2018/10/russia-warns-sea-of-azov-off-limits-to-us-nato-ship-drills/

[davidbfpo]

There is a Ukrainian website that provides some background and curiously the Ukrainians have managed to pass two naval ships through the narrow Straits of Kerch already. The two ex-USCG vessels appear to be still in a Baltimore dockyard.
Link:https://112.international/article/ukraines-strategic-aims-in-the-sea-of-azov-33305.html

[AdamG]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s only aircraft carrier was damaged while undergoing repairs in the north of the country after the floating dock holding it sank in the early hours of Tuesday and a crane crashed onto its deck, tearing a gash up to 5 meters wide.The Admiral Kuznetsov has seen action in Russia’s military campaign in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad with its planes carrying out air strikes against rebel forces.

It was being overhauled on one of the world’s biggest floating docks in the icy waters of the Kola Bay near Murmansk close to where Russia’s Northern Fleet is based and was due to go back into service in 2021.Maria Kovtun, Murmansk’s governor, said in a statement that a rescue operation had been launched and 71 people evacuated after the floating dock holding the ship had begun to sink.

The warship had been successfully extracted from the dock before it completely sank, she said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-military-ship/russias-only-aircraft-carrier-damaged-after-floating-dock-sinks-idUSKCN1N410U

[AdamG]

So the cynic in me asks "who do we have to thank for this?", even though incompetence seems far more likely than sabotage.


Russian officials admitted that they no longer can service Russia’s lone aircraft carrier following a recent sinking of a large floating dry dock. https://thediplomat.com/2018/11/russia-admits-that-it-cant-retrofit-aircraft-carrier-after-accident/

[AdamG]

Food for thought, by Mark Galeotti.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/05/im-sorry-for-creating-the-gerasimov-doctrine/


I was the first to write about Russia’s infamous high-tech military strategy. One small problem: it doesn't exist.


Everywhere, you’ll find scholars, pundits, and policymakers talking about the threat the “Gerasimov doctrine” — named after Russia’s chief of the general staff — poses to the West. It’s a new way of war, “an expanded theory of modern warfare,” or even “a vision of total warfare.”

There’s one small problem. It doesn’t exist. And the longer we pretend it does, the longer we misunderstand the — real, but different — challenge Russia poses.

[AdamG]

The new leader of the United Kingdom’s army said that Russia is a bigger security threat than the Islamic State group (ISIS) in his first interview since becoming chief in June.
https://globalnews.ca/news/4695735/uk-mark-carleton-smith-russia-bigger-threat-than-isis/

[AdamG]

Russia has opened fire on Ukrainian ships and captured three vessels in a major escalation of tensions off the coast of Crimea. Three sailors have been wounded after the Ukrainian navy said two artillery boats were hit by the strikes in the Black Sea. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko called an emergency session of his war cabinet and said he will propose that parliament declare martial law.
https://news.sky.com/story/russia-fires-at-ukraine-ships-in-black-sea-11563775


KIEV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian navy said Russian special forces had seized three of its ships in the Black Sea and that two of its sailors had been wounded in the incident. It made the statement after earlier saying that Russia had opened fire on the ships, which Russia blocked from passing through the Kerch Strait into the Sea of Azov. There was no immediate response to the allegation from Russia.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-ships/ukraine-says-russia-seizes-three-of-its-ships-in-black-sea-idUSKCN1NU0YK

[AdamG]

What triggered the military confrontation in Black Sea? l Inside Story - Al Jazeera English

Relations between Russia and Ukraine the countries are still raw after Russia annexed Crimea four years ago. And Moscow's since been backing pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine where fighting continues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKZE0pWtaL8

[davidbfpo]

For some a change of scenery, climate and perhaps some food:
Two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers, an Antonov An-124 Russian heavy military transport plane and an Ilyushin Il-62 plane arrived in Venezuela, the Russian defense ministry said on Monday.

The maps suggests in-flight refueling in mid-Atlantic.
Link:https://defence-blog.com/news/russia-deploys-two-tu-160-strategic-bombers-to-venezuela.html

I recall a similar expedition to Indonesia awhile ago. Neither nation I expect is in the market to buy such aircraft. Perhaps a return via Cuba?

Via a UK newspaper:
the planes can fly over 7,500 miles without re-fuelling and have landed in Venezuela twice before in the last decade.
Link:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/11/venezuela-welcomes-arrival-nuclear-capable-russian-bombers/

[AdamG]

The Russian military says two of its nuclear-capable strategic bombers have flown over the Caribbean Sea during a 10-hour training mission.

A pair of Tu-160 bombers arrived at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas Monday. The Russian Defense Ministry said they were escorted by Venezuelan fighter jets during part of the training mission on Wednesday to practice interaction.

The Tu-160 is capable of carrying conventional or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with a range of 5,500 kilometers (3,410 miles).
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russian-nuclear-capable-bombers-fly-caribbean-sea-59782330

[AdamG]

From TASS


The Russian naval aviation will be developed in three stages, the general said.

At the first stage (until 2021), there are plans to continue modernizing the operational planes while in 2021-2030 the naval aviation will start to receive the most advanced aircraft. After 2030, the efforts to develop promising aircraft will continue, the general said.

In the period until 2021, the active upgrade of the existing fleet of aircraft will continue, he said.

http://tass.com/defense/1035224

[AdamG]

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The cutting-edge frigate Admiral Kasatonov under construction for the Russian Navy at the St. Petersburg-based Severnaya Verf Shipyard will enter sea trials in December 2018, Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Korolyov said on Monday.


The lead warship of this series, the Admiral Gorshkov, was delivered to the Navy in the summer of 2018 and the construction of two more frigates (the Admiral Golovko and the Admiral Isakov) continues at the slipways of the Severnaya Verf Shipyard in St. Petersburg.

Project 22350 frigates are the Russian Navy’s most advanced warships in their class. These frigates displace about 5,000 tonnes and can develop a speed of 29 knots. They are armed with Oniks and Kalibr missiles and the Poliment-Redut air defense missile system.

The large amphibious assault ship Pyotr Morgunov was laid down at the Yantar Shipyard on the Baltic coast on June 11, 2015 and floated out on May 25 this year. By the Navy’s decision, this series will consist of only two warships: the lead ship Ivan Gren, which has been under construction for over 20 years due to the Project’s numerous adjustments and the first serial-produced (the second-built) large amphibious assault ship Pyotr Morgunov.

Project 11711 warships displace about 6,000 tonnes and are the largest surface combatants built to date. The previous Project 1171 ‘Tapir’ large amphibious assault ship displaces 4,300 tonnes and the most numerous ships of this class in the Russian Navy (Project 775) have a displacement of 4,400 tonnes.



http://tass.com/defense/1032678

[AdamG]

Russia says it has built a new barracks for troops on a disputed chain of islands near Japan and vowed to build more facilities for armoured vehicles, prompting a diplomatic protest from Tokyo. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Monday it planned to shift troops next week into four housing complexes on two of the four disputed islands, known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan. Japan’s defence ministry says 3,500 Russian troops are deployed on the two larger islands as part of a military buildup.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-japan-islands-barracks-southern-kurils-northern-territories-military-defence-a8689026.html

[AdamG]

Bonus - social media OSINT*.

A warship of Russia's Northern fleet entered the Black Sea on Wednesday, January 9. The vessel in question is the Severomorsk (619) anti-submarine Udaloy-class destroyer, according to Andriy Klymenko, an expert with the Ukraine-based Maidan of Foreign Affairs Foundation. "For the first time since the start of Crimea occupation, a warship of the Russian Northern fleet – not just a landing ship of another fleet but the one that is part of the Russian navy's main strike force – has entered the Black Sea waters," * the expert wrote on Facebook, also posting the relevant photos of the destroyer.

https://www.unian.info/politics/10402719-russia-deploys-northern-fleet-s-warship-to-black-sea-photo.html

[davidbfpo]

From the reliable Barents Observer website; the full title being: 'Norway tired of Russia's electronic warfare troubling civilian navigation: “Unacceptable and risky”and sub-titled 'Military forces on the heavily militarized Kola Peninsula have blinded GPS signals in Norwegian air space five times over the last 17 months.'
Link:https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2019/01/norway-tired-russian-military-gps-jamming-unacceptable-and-risky

[AdamG]

From January 23rd


And despite the nation's economic crisis, Maduro welcomed the deployment of two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers. The Russian aircraft, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, landed in Caracas last month in a move designed to show Moscow's support of Venezuela's socialist regime. The Pentagon swiftly criticized the Russian deployment of warplanes to Venezuela.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/venezuela-president-maduro-breaks-relations-with-us-gives-american-diplomats-72-hours-to-leave-country.html

[davidbfpo]

A suitable spot for this. Partly explained:
This reading list is necessarily selective. It includes key texts, classic analysis, and work that illuminates all important background. It is a “live” document, and will be amended and updated as appropriate.There are currently large gaps in the literature, particularly in the study of Russian defence and armed forces and – even more so – the Russian security and intelligence services. Some older work is therefore included that will hopefully be useful for providing essential background. The reading list is intended to be as accessible as possible. Therefore, all the works are in English, the articles are available to download for free (without subscription), and the books are in print and available tobuy online, mostly at a decent price.
Link to PDF 7pgs:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55faab67e4b0914105347194/t/5c50713003ce6461fcc0b356/1548775729759/CCW+Russia+Reading+List+4+Jan+19.pdf

[AdamG]

Two Russian warships have been fitted with an unusual defensive weapon that reportedly causes its victims to become disorientated, hallucinate and even want to vomit.

The non lethal weapon, called 5P-42 Filin, is described as a “visual optical interference” device and is designed to temporarily incapacitate its targets.

According to RIA Novosti, Russia’s domestic state news agency, the Filin device has been deployed on the Russian naval frigates Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Kasatono.

The weapon fires a beam similar to a strobe light that affects the victim’s eyesight and ability to look at and concentrate on a target, according to local media reports. The non lethal device is said to be able to temporarily blind its target.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/russian-warships-reportedly-fitted-with-device-to-blind-and-induce-nausea-in-enemies/news-story/64738bd2b82b7f8a42735a5d1ad9848c

See also
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/26356/mysterious-russian-dome-of-light-baffled-us-spy-plane-pilot-during-cold-war-missions

[AdamG]

SU-24s are a fifty-year old design.


The dramatic simulated attack happend on February 14th, 2018, Director of Norway’s Intelligence Service, Lieutenant General Morten Haga Lunde, told the audience in his annual speech for the Oslo Military Society on Monday.
*

He then showed the map of how a group of 11 Sukhoi-24 (NATO name Fencer) supersonic attack aircraft taking of from Monchegorsk air base on the Kola Peninsula flying out in the Barents Sea before taking a 180 degree turn into an attack formation towards Vardø.

https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2019/02/11-russian-fighter-jets-made-mock-attack-norwegian-arctic-radar

[AdamG]

Following the sinking of one of the world’s largest dry docks on October 29 in a shipyard in the far northwest part of Russia, officials have finally admitted that they are unable to continue work on Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, for the time being. While Russia’s shipbuilding industry is reportedly looking into alternatives, no timely and viable solution to continue retrofitting work on the Russian Navy’s flagship has emerged to date.

“We have alternatives actually for all the ships except for [the aircraft carrier] Admiral Kuznetsov. Our enterprises are in operation, [including] the Nerpa [Ship Repair Factory],” the head of Russia’s United Ship-Building Corporation (USC), Alexei Rakhmanov, is quoted as saying on November 7 by TASS news agency. “After all, we can perform certain docking works in Severodvinsk, not far from Murmansk. We don’t feel any special problems in this regard.”

However, the Russian shipbuilding industry does not possess a large enough facility to accommodate the carrier and it will take at least six to 12 months to recover the sunken floating dry dock. According to open source information, Russia would require international support for any such complex recovery operation as it does not possess the equipment to lift the massive drydock from the seabed on its own.

https://thediplomat.com/2018/11/russia-admits-that-it-cant-retrofit-aircraft-carrier-after-accident

[AdamG]

ISTANBUL – The Russian Improved Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar (B-265) made an unexpected southbound passage through the Bosphorus Strait on Thursday. The submarine assigned to the Black Sea Fleet entered the Mediterranean the next day.

Under the Montreux Convention rules governing warships in the Black Sea, there are specific restrictions around passage in and out of the Black Sea, including by submarines.

While the submarines of non-Black Sea nations are forbidden to pass through the Straits, the submarines of Black Sea riparian states may pass through the Turkish Straits – but only if they are passing through for the purpose of joining a base in the Black Sea for the first time after their construction or purchase, or for the purpose of going to or from repairs in yards outside the Black Sea.

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/18/russian-submarine-makes-mysterious-exit-black-sea

[davidbfpo]

The latest Russian Navy submarine disaster has had some coverage here:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48865332

Once again the local website 'The Barents Observer' based in Norway has a first-hand report and more details - many of which now appear in the BBC story:https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2019/07/fishermen-witnessed-nuclear-submarine-drama#.XR236W97K8K.twitter