Watching Russian Air & Sea Activity

[OUTLAW 09]

.@US_EUCOM posts third video of Su-24 flyby of USS Donald Cook
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=...&v=vkkCZwiENh8 …

MORE buzzing videos......

https://youtu.be/e-pLgvJULOM
https://youtu.be/5deRj1umjM0
https://youtu.be/y8D48itR2cg
https://youtu.be/vkkCZwiENh8
https://twitter.com/jus10j/status/720325413248110592 …

US Mission to NATO
✔ ‎@USNATO .@US_EUCOM: We have deep concerns about unsafe & unprofessional Russian flight maneuvers that could result in a miscalculation or accident

[OUTLAW 09]

“Russia has a peaceful foreign policy, and this is no exaggeration."
- V. Putin, 13.10.2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...h8&app=desktop …

This is what Russian aggression in the Baltic Sea looks like
http://read.bi/1XvXopJ

1972 Incidents at Sea Agreement: "not simulating attacks at, launching objects toward, or illuminating the bridges of the other partys ships"

Russia buzzes #US ship w/in 30ft. in Baltic. Indicates Putin does not feel restrained by #Obama's force posture. http://www.militarytimes.com/story/m...-sea/82979184/ …

Last Cold War made clear that with crazy fly-bys & related dangerous cat+mouse games, it's only a matter of time before somebody gets killed

Putin's so paranoid he put his personal bodyguard in charge of new National Guard inside Russia. Outside–buzzing US https://twitter.com/christopherjm/st...35801192685568 …

[OUTLAW 09]

The #Russia|n Su-24 appears to be unmarked, no insignia,.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia n special forces instructors landed on demilitarized #Svalbard, #Norway considers as breach of sovereignty. http://thebarentsobserver.com/2016/0...wAiS82.twitter …

Swedish Air Space Shut Down by Cyber-Attacks, Officials Blame Russia
http://news.softpedia.com/news/swedi...a-502919.shtml …

[OUTLAW 09]

It's not just ships them Russian cowboy pilots like to buzz. Planes, too. Picture taken from a Swedish 'spy plane'

[OUTLAW 09]

The #Russia|n Su-24 appears to be unmarked, no insignia,.

This is actually extremely interesting and I rechecked the various videos....this was a "deliberate provocation" and they were flying with no markings.....which is typical for wartime/combat operations as we first saw in Syria and then when confronted about the lack of markings the RuAF then added them back on and fly even in Syria with aircraft markings.

The key markings missing are the individual aircraft number and tail nationality markings.

Previous RuAF "intercepts" in the Baltic in 2014/2015 all had the standard RuAF markings.

[OUTLAW 09]

Lithuanian Border Guard Reports 3 Russian Helicopters Crossing Border; Joint Staff Unable to Confirm
http://www.interpretermag.com/russia...15-2016/#13338 …

Same day that USS Donald Cook was harassed
https://twitter.com/Interpreter_Mag/...47233018347521 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian soldiers to be swapped for Savchenko as long as she is alive - lawyer - read on -
http://uatoday.tv http://uatoday.tv/politics/russian-s...er-632220.html …

Dead bodies of 38 Russian soldiers transported to Russia, – Defense Ministry
http://en.censor.net.ua/n384691

Militants fire at Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint, – Tuka
http://en.censor.net.ua/n384693

ATO updates: Firefight takes place in the vicinity of Novotroitske and Dokuchaevsk
http://uacrisis.org/42156-andrij-lisenko-198 …

Russian provocations in Baltic meant to discredit NATO, show US will not react and allies can't rely on article 5 http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/putin-try...firing-a-shot/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian non linear warfare is now definitely going "hot"........


Russian Jet Threatened U.S. Recon Aircraft

Barrel rolls over plane in latest Baltic Sea provocation


BY: Bill Gertz
April 16, 2016 3:25 pm

A Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft on Thursday in the latest military provocation by Moscow over the Baltic Sea, the U.S. European Command said Saturday.

“On April 14, a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft flying a routine route in international airspace over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 in an unsafe and unprofessional manner,” said Navy Capt. Danny Hernandez.

“This intercept comes shortly after the unsafe Russian encounters with USS Donald Cook,” he added. “There have been repeated incidents over the last year where Russian military aircraft have come close enough to other air and sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns, and we are very concerned with any such behavior.”

Hernandez said the U.S. aircraft, a militarized Boeing 707 jet, was operating in international airspace “and at no time crossed into Russian territory.”

“This unsafe and unprofessional air intercept has the potential to cause serious harm and injury to all aircrews involved,” he said. “More importantly, the unsafe and unprofessional actions of a single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries.”

According to Hernandez, the Su-27 carried out “erratic and aggressive maneuvers” by approaching the RC-135 at a high rate of speed from the side.

The Russian jet “then proceeded to perform an aggressive maneuver that posed a threat to the safety of the U.S. aircrew in the RC-135U,” the spokesman said.

“More specifically, the SU-27 closed within 50 feet of the wing-tip of the RC-135 and conducted a barrel roll starting from the left side of the aircraft, going over the top of the aircraft and ended up to the right of the aircraft,” he said.

The U.S. government is protesting all the incidents this week to the Russian government through diplomatic channels, he said.

The RC-135U, an electronic intelligence-gathering aircraft, is normally operated by five air crew and up to 16 electronic warfare officers and six or more regional specialists.

The dangerous aerial incident came two days after a simulated Russian aerial assault against the guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea. Washington called the simulated assault a military provocation, and said it nearly caused an international shootout.

Two Russian fighter-bombers, identified as Su-24s, made close passes over the Cook, including one jet that came within 30 feet of the warship.

A Navy officer said the buzzing was the most reckless flyover of a U.S. warship by either a Russian or Chinese warplane since the Cold War. “I’ve been in a lot of those situations and I’ve never seen any plane come that close,” the officer said.

The aerial harassment appears to be part of a Russian military campaign of intimidation against the United States and NATO.

Moscow has adopted hostile military policies toward the United States over U.S. deployment of missile defenses in Europe, which Moscow says threaten its missile forces. The Russians also have been upset by Western sanctions against its military annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.

Strategically, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been seeking to regain control and influence over what Moscow calls the “near abroad”—former Soviet republics and Eastern Bloc nations along the periphery of Russia’s borders in Eastern Europe.

The policy has led to military aggression against the Republic of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, where Russian troops took over the Crimean peninsula and are continuing to fuel separatist activity in eastern Ukraine.

In response, the United States and NATO are bolstering U.S. and allied military forces in Eastern Europe, with a specific emphasis of increasing military forces and troops near the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, as well as in Poland.

The recent Russian military provocations coincide with military activities by Moscow in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which remains a major subject of U.S. monitoring. Russia in the past has threatened to deploy nuclear-capable Iskander short-range missiles in the enclave on the Baltic Coast between Poland and Latvia.

Earlier this week, Brian McKeon, principal undersecretary of defense for policy, told a House subcommittee hearing that Russia has prevented U.S. and allied flights over Kaliningrad that are allowed under the Open Skies Treaty.

Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon strategic forces analyst who specializes in Russian affairs, said the recent incidents over the Baltic Sea, including the simulated attack of a U.S. warship, are fundamentally different from past Russian provocations.

“It is a major escalation of Russian aggressiveness although it fits into a pattern of Russian activity that goes back years,” Schneider said. “The Russian Defense Ministry reaction was blatantly dishonest.”

Schneider said the likely U.S. response to these provocations are what former Pentagon official Richard Perle once dubbed “demarche-mellows,” or very weak, pro forma protests.

“If so, incidents like this will probably continue to escalate,” Schneider said.

Thursday’s aerial encounter involving the RC-135 was at least the second time this year that Russian jets have conducted a dangerous intercept of a reconnaissance aircraft.

On Jan. 25, a Russian Su-27 came within 20 feet of an RC-135 over the Black Sea in what Navy Capt. Daniel Hernandez said was an “unsafe and unprofessional” action.

Unlike Thursday’s encounter, the Russian jet in January did not do a barrel roll, but instead made an aggressive, high-speed banking turn away from the intelligence aircraft.

The maneuver disturbed the pilot’s control of the RC-135.

The dangerous Su-24 overflight of the Cook on April 12 came a day after two other Russian Su-24s flew over the ship 20 times, including a dangerous pass as an allied helicopter was being refueled, causing a delay in flight operations until the Su-24s left the area.

The same day, a Russian Ka-27 Helix helicopter flew around the Cook, which had finished a port visit to Poland and had a Polish helicopter on board.

“The Russian aircraft flew in a simulated attack profile and failed to respond to repeated safety advisories in both English and Russian,” the European Command said in a statement.

The Pentagon released video of the encounter showing the close pass, which created a wake in the water.

Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday criticized the Russian military provocation, though he declined to say what steps the United States would take in response.

The State Department lodged formal protests with Russia.

“We condemn this kind of behavior. It is reckless. It is provocative. It is dangerous. And under the rules of engagement that could have been a shoot-down,” Kerry told CNN and the Miami Herald.

“People need to understand that this is serious business and the United States is not going to be intimidated on the high seas. … We are communicating to the Russians how dangerous this is and our hope is that this will never be repeated,” Kerry said.

The Cook is equipped with anti-aircraft defenses including the Close-In Weapons System, an automated air defense gun that can destroy aircraft with 25-millimeter rounds. The weapon was not readied because the ship was operating under the U.S.-Russian agreement not to illuminate each other’s aircraft.

“We have deep concerns about the unsafe and unprofessional Russian flight maneuvers,” the European command said in a statement.

“These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident that could cause serious injury or death.”

Kerry on Friday discussed the Cook incident with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a State Department spokesman said.

Moscow sought to play down the incident involving the Cook. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the state-run Interfax news agency that the Russian pilots acted within safety guidelines.

The incidents violated the bilateral U.S.-Russian agreement designed to prevent incidents at sea. The accord prohibits conducting simulated attacks and also limits the use of automated anti-aircraft guns.

Other incidents in recent months included a near collision between a Russian fighter and an RC-135 over the Black Sea on May 30, and on April 7, 2015, a Su-27 flew within 20 feet of an RC-135 over the Baltic Sea.

Additionally, last October, two Russian Tu-142 bombers made low passes near the aircraft carrier USS Reagan as it sailed in the Sea of Japan near the Korean peninsula. And on July 4, 2015, two Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers approached within 40 miles of the California coast and radioed a “happy birthday” message to intercepting U.S. pilots.

The July 4 provocation occurred the same day President Obama held a telephone call with Putin.

Russia also has sent Tu-95 bombers to circle the Pacific island of Guam several times. The island is a major military hub and central to the U.S. military’s pivot to Asia.

RC-135 is a slow-moving, unarmed SIGINT collector. Russian Air Force wants an "incident." They'll eventually get 1.

[OUTLAW 09]

Минобороны России
✔ ‎@mod_russia Rus MoD comments on alleged dangerous approach of Su-27 to US reconnaissance aircraft over Baltic Sea
http://bit.ly/1ST5Ew8

[OUTLAW 09]

The parallel universes of News reporting - World vs #Putin`s.You got to love #Russia`s creativity!

Reference the Russian SU27 barrel rolling event..........

[AdamG]

A Russian warship carried out aggressive and erratic maneuvers close to a U.S. Navy ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the second such Cold War-style incident there in a matter of weeks, the U.S. military said on Saturday.

The U.S. European Command said the Russian frigate, Yaroslav Mudry, came unnecessarily close to the guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto on June 30 and maneuvered in its wake.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/...cid=spartandhp

[AdamG]

While Pentagon and U.S. Navy officials have been sounding the alarm about a resurgent Russian Navy, the Defense Department’s concerns might be somewhat overblown. Though analysts vary in their opinions, the current Russian submarine fleet is less than one-fifth of the size of the once mighty Soviet armada and perhaps as little as half of Moscow’s undersea force is operational at any one time. Nonetheless, the Russian fleet has recovered from its worst post-Cold War lows when its submarine activity came to a virtual standstill.

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the...erica-be-16858

[AdamG]

The US Navy could have wanted to send Moscow a signal when USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, performed a dangerous maneuver in the Mediterranean, but the Russian ships in the region hardly viewed the incident as a major threat because they are focused on their main mission, defense analyst Ilya Kramnik asserted.

The Russian Navy is primarily tasked with making sure that the so-called Syrian express, a supply line for Moscow's anti-Daesh campaign in the Arab country, is working, he explained. In other words, it is meant to protect Russian ships going in and out of Syria from a potential terrorist attack.

http://sputniknews.com/politics/2016...s-gravely.html

[OUTLAW 09]

Very rare photo of unreported Cold War Russian midget sub in #Baltic
http://www.hisutton.com/Carmon-1E%20midget%20sub.html#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Spy Sub - Project 10831 Losharik
http://www.hisutton.com/Spy%20Sub%20...Losharik.html#
… another great piece by @CovertShores

[AdamG]

From September 23rd, aircraft carrier to appear on playing board mid-October.

“Currently, the Russian naval group in the eastern Mediterranean includes at least six warships and three or four support vessels from all fleets. To increase the combat capabilities of the group, [we] plan to include the cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov into its ranks,”#Shoigu said.
The minister added that the deployment is part of the Russian naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean, renewed in 2013, which ensures the country’s interests and helps#“to maintain peace.”
According to a source cited by Interfax, the Admiral Kuznetsov will join the country’s naval unit in mid-October, with the mission expected to last between four and five months.“Currently, the Russian naval group in the eastern Mediterranean includes at least six warships and three or four support vessels from all fleets. To increase the combat capabilities of the group, [we] plan to include the cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov into its ranks,”#Shoigu said.
The minister added that the deployment is part of the Russian naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean, renewed in 2013, which ensures the country’s interests and helps#“to maintain peace.”
According to a source cited by Interfax, the Admiral Kuznetsov will join the country’s naval unit in mid-October, with the mission expected to last between four and five months.

According to Interfax, the vessel, which has recently undergone maintenance, will carry state-of-the-art MIG-29KR and MIG-29KUBR jets, as well as SU-33 fighters. In addition, it’s reported that the onboard squadron will include KA-52K assault helicopters.
“The KA-52 helicopters are already undergoing tests. The pilots report on very positive impressions,”#the director of the Russian Helicopters company told Interfax.
The Admiral Kuznetsov is currently Russia’s only aircraft carrier, and was commissioned in 1990. It is capable of harboring over 50 aircraft. The vessel is also armed with ‘Granit’ anti-ship cruise missiles and as well as#‘Blade’#and#‘Chestnut’#gun systems.

https://www.rt.com/news/360178-russi...ria-kuznetsov/

See also https://sputniknews.com/military/201...elopments.html

[davidbfpo]

Two Russian Blackjack bombers were intercepted by fighter jets from four European countries as they flew from the direction of Norway to northern Spain and back, it has emerged (happened 22nd September)....Spanish media say it is the furthest south such an operation has had to take place.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37562499?

[AdamG]

The two guided missile fast attack craft left from the port of Sevastopol on October 4 and are currently sailing through the Black Sea in order to join up with the Russian fleet.
The Serpukhov and the Zeleny Dol already participated in Russia’s Syria operation in the Mediterranean in the middle of August, when they fired three Kalibr cruise missiles at Al-Nusra Front terrorists before returning to Crimea in September.
The US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is wary of the Kalibr missile, which “is profoundly changing its ability to deter, threaten or destroy adversary targets,” the report published in December said.

https://www.rt.com/news/361699-syria...navy-missiles/


Tangential plot twist.

WASHINGTON — In a sharp deterioration of relations, the U.S. on Monday suspended diplomatic contacts with Russia over Syria, while Moscow halted cooperation on a joint program for disposal of weapons-grade plutonium.
The U.S. move followed a threat last week from Secretary of State John Kerry after new Russian and Syrian attacks on the city of Aleppo. The State Department said Russia had not lived up to the terms of an agreement last month to restore the cease-fire and ensure sustained deliveries of humanitarian aid to besieged cities.
"This is not a decision that was taken lightly," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Russia failed to live up to its own commitments ... and was also either unwilling or unable to ensure Syrian regime adherence to the arrangements to which Moscow agreed."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/syr...-syria-n658741

[AdamG]

From September 23rd, aircraft carrier to appear on playing board mid-October.

Someone's a tad tardy.

Russia's only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov , is nearing the end of a work-up period outside the port of Murmansk before heading for the eastern Mediterranean, reportedly to begin air operations against targets in Syria.
The first combat deployment of Kuznetsov was announced by Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu on 21 September, when he said the 55,000-ton carrier would be escorted by six warships and three or four support vessels.
UK naval sources say they expect Kuznetsov's departure to be "imminent".
"We and our NATO allies have been watching her work-up closely and we think they have got her pilots qualified and safe to fly off the ship," a senior naval officer told IHS Jane's on 13 October, adding, "She has been going in and out of port over the past week or so to get everyone spun up. That seems to be done now."

http://www.janes.com/article/64643/r...ria-deployment

Russia plans to expand its supply base in the Syrian port city of Tartus into a permanent naval base, Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Monday, according to state news agency TASS.
"In Syria, we will have a permanent naval base in Tartus. The corresponding documents have been drafted. Currently they are in the process of inter-departmental coordination," said Pankov, during a meeting of Russia's Federation Council's international affairs committee.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/10/middle...-tartus-syria/