– Naval News – The Black Sea fleet is actively developing into a self-sufficient and balanced force.

– Naval News – The Russian Navy’s Baltic fleet will receive a series of six Karakurt-class corvettes of project 22800.

– War Zone – The Russian Navy’s newest ballistic missile submarine, the Project 955A Borei-A class Knyaz Vladimir, has headed out for its “final” sea trials, indicating that it could finally enter service in the near future. The boat was originally set to formally join Russia’s Northern Fleet back in 2017, but that schedule repeatedly slipped due to technical issues.

– BMPD – The Russian Advanced Research Foundation said that on May 8, 2020, at 22 hours 34 minutes Moscow time, the Russian autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle Vityaz plunged to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The Vityaz sensors recorded a depth of 10,028 meters. During this dive, a pennant was delivered to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. (In Russian)

(Thanks to Alain)

– Tass – The second submarine to serve as a basic carrier of Russia’s Poseidon nuclear-capable underwater drones will be floated out approximately in late June.

(Thanks to Alain)

– Naval News – The Russian Navy is reinforcing its naval group in the Mediterranean Sea. Two new submarines with Kalibr cruise missiles joined it. Other warships are to arrive. The Mediterranean group is reinforced on the background of the escalating civil war in Libya and the tanker war in the Gulf.

– Naval News – When the Marine Nationale’s latest submarine, Suffren (Q284) conducted its first test dives it grabbed headlines. What went largely unnoticed by the world was that a Russian ship had been loitering in the area. RFS Akademik Pashin (IMO: 9778193) is a Project 23130 replenishment tanker.

– Breaking Defense – Two Russian companies announced an agreement today to build the world’s most powerful nuclear icebreaker, the first step in a bold new Arctic strategy Moscow hopes will bring riches and drive open lucrative new shipping routes.

– Naval News – The navigation and oceanography department of the Russian Defense Ministry will receive a dozen new hydrographic boats and vessels by 2021. Each Russian Navy fleet will be reinforced with them.

– War Zone – Russia’s Severnoye Design Bureau has stopped development entirely of its Project 23560 destroyers, also known as the Lider class, and the Project 22350M frigate, an expanded derivative of the Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov class. The company has said these ships are among its most promising future offerings and the halting of the two programs has raised questions about its long-term financial stability.

– Barents Observer – The 96 meter long special-purpose ship “Akademik Aleksandrov” has been formally incorporated in Russia’s Northern Fleet.

– National Interest – An annual Russian naval estimate reveals Moscow’s continuing shipbuilding dilemmas, as well as a contrast to China’s naval development prowess.

– Barents Observer – A civilian who went onboard the Russian cruise-missile carrier “Orel” had met with a man who tested positive to the coronavirus.

– War Zone – The Russian Navy has reportedly looked into reviving this tactic, but for cruise-missile armed submarines.

– Barents Observer – The K-157 “Vepr” is first of five upgraded Akula-class subs that are about to return to active duty in the Barents Sea.

– Naval News – Borei-A-class SSBN of project 955A will operate in the Far East. Five out of eight submarines will serve in the Pacific fleet. The Russian Navy is restoring the Far Eastern nuclear arsenal which was nearly lost thirty years ago.

– Naval News – The main missions of big-displacement warships armed with a major number of missiles is to provide air defense to warship formations and deliver missile strikes at sea and coastal targets.

– Naval News – Open sources reported in July 2018 that it had been decided to take a break in the creation of a prospective destroyer (heavy nuclear missile cruiser) of project 23560. A publication in February 2020 in FlotProm online media outlet did not add anything new.

– The Diplomat – The launch will reportedly take place as part of the Tsirkon missile’s state trials.

(Thanks to Alain)

– Naval News – The Russian Navy will be protected against adversary antisubmarine aircraft and drones. Burak-M buoys will make a sea area impenetrable. Communications by all channels will be jammed or complicated to the maximum by the new system. It is intended for Borey-class SSBN of project 955 and Dolphin-class of project 667BDRM, as well as diesel-electric submarines.

– Barents Observer – A pair of Northern Fleet Tu-142s has for the fourth time in just over two weeks been on mission outside Norway. The flight on Wednesday went all south to the Bay of Biscay.

– War Zone – The Borei-A class boats are said to be among the quietest in Russia’s fleet and they feature some amenities that are distinctly Russian.-

– Barents Observer – Norwegian and British fighter jets were scrambled two times this week to meet a pair of the Northern Fleet’s ASW aircraft on training mission over the Norwegian Sea.

– Barents Observer – Russia has conducted the first ship-launched firing of its new hypersonic missile called Tsirkon and plans further tests from nuclear submarines.

– Naval News – The Project 545 ‘Laika’ was first revealed in the background of a media report on a Russian defense exhibition in December. Although it has not been officially confirmed the new design is likely to be the next generation Russian attack submarine project known as Husky. The name Laika refers to a breed of Siberian hunting dog very similar to the husky.