USNI News – A group of three Russian warships capable of landing tanks and troops ashore is now in the Black Sea, as the Russian Navy begins to mass ships in the Mediterranean.

War Zone – Six Russian Navy amphibious warfare ships that departed the Baltic Sea region in January and entered the Mediterranean Sea last week are now in Syria. The vessels are resupplying at Russia’s naval facility in the Syrian port of Tartus, ostensibly ahead of a large maritime exercise that is set to kick off in the Mediterranean soon. However, there have been persistent discussions about whether these ships might be moving into a place where they could relatively quickly redeploy into the Black Sea to support a potential new Russian military incursion into Ukraine, and they are certainly better positioned for such a contingency now.

Russian Navy – Russia has “been very thoughtful about how they’ve been ramping up their level of activity” in the Black Sea, said Bryan Clark, a fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Navy Lookout – There is growing concern that another Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent. Here we look at the naval dimension of the Russian military build-up and the implications for NATO navies

National Interest – James Holmes writes that it is far from unthinkable that Russia might try to stage a token deployment in Latin America. 

War Zone – The arrival of these warships comes ahead of major naval maneuvers and concerns that they could take part in operations against Ukraine.

USNI News – The Russian Navy is kicking off several simultaneous exercises, with ships from the Baltic and Black seas and its Northern Fleet sortieing from their homeports across Europe.

Barents Observer – As fears grow about a military conflict in Ukraine and escalating security turmoil in Europe, three of the largest navy ships in Russia’s Northern Fleet are currently sailing outside northern Norway on their way to war games southwest of Ireland.

AP – Russia has announced sweeping naval drills in several parts of the world this month, and claims the West is plotting “provocations” in neighboring Ukraine where the Kremlin has been accused of planning aggressive military action.

War Zone – A trio of Russian amphibious warfare vessels has left the Baltic Sea region, a day after three other similar landing ships departed the area. These ships’ final destinations are unknown, but concerns are swirling that these naval movements could be linked to the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine.

War Zone – Three Russian Navy amphibious warfare ships departed the Baltic Sea, headed toward the Atlantic Ocean, as tensions continue to surround Moscow’s build-up of troops and equipment around its borders with Ukraine. A separate flotilla of three Russian landing ships had previously been the cause of recent alarm in Sweden, which sent additional forces to the island of Gotland, in the Baltic, in response to the increased Russian maritime activity in the region. 

Barents Observer – The unique research station will conduct its first expedition this year, the country’s natural resource minster says.

Barents Observer – Both the Northern Fleet and the Pacific Fleet will over the next years get new powerful icebreaking vessels. They are needed for our “active development of the Arctic,” the Navy argues.

TASS – Russian Navy’s corvette Provorny may be restored in 2026 after it sustained damages in a fire ten days ago.

(Thanks to Alain)

CNN – While ground effect vehicles fell out of favor in the past few decades, the concept has been experiencing a resurgence of late.

RUSI – The prospect of greater Russian involvement in the war in Ukraine raises questions about the possible role of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and how it could support Russia’s Ground Forces.

USNI News – Tensions between Washington and Moscow are rising with a marked increase in competition in the undersea domain, as Russia continues to invest in a fleet of specialized submarines.

Barents Observer – Both the “Arktika” and “Sibir” have been on sea trials in the Gulf of Finland this week, while construction work on the “Ural”, “Yakutia” and “Chukotka” continue according to schedule.

War Zone – The countermeasure could confuse certain missiles during a conflict and obscure activities from some surveillance capabilities.

Business Insider – Russia’s neighbors on the Caspian Sea have been building up their naval capabilities. Russia remains the dominant military in the region, but that advantage is diminishing. The countries there have taken steps to manage disputes, but future points of tension are visible.

CIMSEC – The Moskva-class represented the largest and most obvious failure of the helicopter cruiser concept. Their weapons were inflexible and their air group too small, compounded by horrible seakeeping. Beyond the failings of the design itself, their doctrinal role was made obsolete before the first ship commissioned. While the proposed ‘Modern Moskva’ avoids these failings, the concept does not address the problems which doomed all helicopter cruisers. Efficiently operating large numbers of aircraft requires as much flight deck as possible. Surface combatants require deck space for weapons and sensors. Trying to combine the two requirements yields a ship that does neither well. A ‘Modern Moskva’ finds itself in a position of being larger and more expensive than a normal surface combatant, but wholly worse than a carrier at flight operations.

War Zone – Zircon missiles and Russia’s super quiet Yasen class submarines could be a significant combination, but questions remain about the weapon’s maturity.

USNI News – The Russian Navy continues to develop how it intends to deploy its latest strategic weapon – a bus-sized torpedo tipped with a nuclear warhead.

AP – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday launched the construction of new nuclear submarines and other warships, part of a sweeping military modernization effort amid tensions with the West.

Naval News – Russia’s secretive special survey ship Yantar raises eyebrows when she appears off Western shores. She has previously been noted conducting operations off Syria, in the Persian Gulf and off Americas. And elsewhere. Now she is off the coast of Ireland, loitering in the vicinity of underwater internet cables.