Watching Russian Air & Sea Activity

[AdamG]

On Monday, Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev said Russia is planning to build a string of new naval bases in the Arctic. The bases are intended to be “key double-purpose sites” for warships “in remote areas of the Arctic Seas.” There’s no word on what those double purposes might be. Russia’s plans to create a “combined-arms force” for the Arctic is also still on track, according to Moscow-based news wire RIA Novosti.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/08/arctic/

[davidbfpo]

Yesterday I spotted, but did not note a report that the Russian navy aircraft cruiser, Moskva, would deploy to the Mediterranean, along with two amphibious ships. The Moskva was already in the Atlantic. One suggestion was that the ships were suitable for a national evacuation operation (NEO). I cannot quickly find that report.

So a few days ago:

Russia has four warships in the eastern Mediterranean that for now are keeping "a respectful distance" from the five US Navy destroyers there, Dempsey revealed.

Link:http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...strikes-senate

Russian news agencies on Thursday quoted Sergei Ivanov as saying that Russia has been boosting its naval presence in the Mediterranean "primarily" in order to organize a possible evacuation of Russians from Syria.

Link:http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...a-g20-showdown

[davidbfpo]

From the Russian press agency Interfax:

Large amphibious ships (BDK), Baltic and Black Sea fleets "Novocherkassk" and "Minsk" with intelligence ship "Azov", breaking the Dardanelles came out into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and headed for the Eastern Mediterranean, "Interfax" on Friday the Main Staff of the Navy.

According to him, landing craft began to move to designated areas of the Eastern Mediterranean, where they will perform the tasks of the operational plans of the Navy command in the group. Average intelligence ship will operate on a separate plan of the General Staff.

Link:www.interfax.ru/world/news.asp?id=327458

[BayonetBrant]

list of Russians ships in the Med or almost there (near as we can tell, from OSINT sources)

http://grognews.blogspot.com/2013/09...-presence.html

[AdamG]

Interfax reported that another landing ship had left the Black Sea port of Sevastopol on Friday morning and was to pick up a "special cargo" in Novorossiysk before sailing toward the eastern Mediterranean. The state RIA Novosti news agency also said that the landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov would be headed toward Syria after picking up cargo in Novorossiysk, which it said would take several days.

http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/DA8KT3I00

Cue dramatic music

list of Russians ships in the Med or almost there (near as we can tell, from OSINT sources)

http://grognews.blogspot.com/2013/09...-presence.html

Still have your boxed copy of HARPOON, or are you going digital for this OOB?

Random funfact:

Russia in January held its biggest naval maneuvers in the Mediterranean in more than two decades, followed by its largest-ever naval exercises with China in the Sea of Japan in July. In March, Putin ordered unplanned exercises in the Black Sea involving 36 warships and almost 7,000 personnel.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...ia-strike.html

[AdamG]

This sounds like something off the Sy-Fy channel - Russians sending an ancient destroyer to the Med...

http://navalmatters.wordpress.com/20...syrian-waters/

More than ten ships and an unknown number of Russian submarines are now in Mediterranean waters, amassing a presence for first time since the dissolution of the fifth military fleet of the Soviet Union in 1992.

-
See more at: http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/new....53sdanq7.dpuf

[wm]

This sounds like something off the Sy-Fy channel - Russians sending an ancient destroyer to the Med...

Sounds like a good depository for a Chem weapons stockpile moved out of Syria in response to the Russian suggestion (BBC reported) to Syria that it put its chem stockpile under international control followed by destruction of said stockpile. What would be easier than to scuttle that destroyer someplace over the Mariannas Trench after filling it up with Syrian VX, Sarin, and Mustard shells and the precursor chemicals on hand? One wonders whether the ship is big enough though.

[Steve Blair]

http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/DA8KT3I00

Cue dramatic music




Still have your boxed copy of HARPOON, or are you going digital for this OOB?

Random funfact:


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...ia-strike.html

Boxed set of HARPOON? Check. All systems show green.