– National Interest – At least we are pretty sure. Read on.

(Thanks to Alain…)

– Daily Beast – Fourteen people, including “an extraordinary crew of top elite captains,” were killed on board Losharik, which may be able to dive as deep as 20,000 feet.

– USNI News – The head of the Russian military released a handful of additional details about the fire aboard a specialized submarine that killed 14 submariners in the Barents Sea on Monday.

– Washington Free Beacon – A fire aboard a secret Russian nuclear research vessel that killed 14 Russians may have been involved in secret operations by Moscow to support underwater drone operations.

– War Zone – Reports and rumors are flying about the accident, which may have been aboard the shadowy spy sub Losharik, as Putin clears his schedule.

– USNI News – A fire that broke out on the secret Russian submarine Losharik has killed 14 sailors.

– USNI News – A U.S. destroyer is off the coast of Havana, Cuba, shadowing a detachment of Russian naval ships that includes one of the country’s most advanced surface ships.

– War Zone – It is the first time in years a Russian surface combatant has sailed into the region, let alone one able to fire modern land attack cruise missiles.

– USNI News – A Russian destroyer came within 100 feet of a U.S. cruiser operating in the Western Pacific in an incident the U.S. Navy is calling, “unsafe and unprofessional.”

– Barents Observer – The Zvezdochka shipyard now confirms that a replacement for the PD-50 dry dock that last October vanished into the sea is soon in the making. The new dry dock will be based on two existing dry docks located in yard No 35 in Roslyakovo and will be used to do work on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.

– Guardian – Russia launched a nuclear-powered icebreaker on Saturday, part of an ambitious programme to renew and expand its fleet of the vessels in order to improve its ability to tap the Arctic’s commercial potential.

– National Interest – An unsigned Russian naval analysis demonstrates acute stress points in Moscow’s naval development program. Decrying corruption and waste, this insider critique aims squarely at the Kremlin.

– Guardian – Marine experts in Norway believe they have stumbled upon a white whale that was trained by the Russian navy as part of a programme to use underwater mammals as a special ops force.

– War Zone – What we can see so far highlights the “special projects” submarine’s deep-sea intelligence gathering capabilities.

– Washington Free Beacon – Russia unveiled one of its nuclear superweapons on Tuesday launching its first submarine capable of firing high-speed underwater drones armed with massive nuclear warheads.

– National Interest – In the early 1980s, a series of dangerous naval maneuvers on both sides brought the superpowers to the brink of nuclear catastrophe. Here we go again.

– CIMSEC – Almost five years following the Minsk Agreements, the war in Ukraine has claimed the lives of over 13,000 individuals. While much of the attention has been on the annexation of Crimea and continuous fighting throughout the Donbas region, Russia has more recently added a maritime component to its campaign with aggressions in the Sea of Azov. The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov, sees the possibility of the region being used as a “springboard for further expansion,” a land invasion of Mariupol being his greatest concern. While many may fear expansion into the land environment, the far more likely scenario is westward progress by Russian naval forces, furthering their disruptive campaign off Ukraine’s coastline.

– RIA Novosti – The new submarine cruisers of Project 955 “Borey” in the coming years will become the main naval component of the Russian nuclear forces. Under the heavy lids on the deck of each of the “strategists” are hidden 16 ballistic missiles “Bulava”, every second ready to strike. On the eve of the Submariner’s Day, a RIA Novosti correspondent boarded the nuclear submarine Yury Dolgorukiy, talked to the commander and found out why these ships are one of the main causes of insomnia for NATO admirals.

– USNI News – 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.

– Washington Times – The commander of the military’s Northern Command warned this week that Moscow is deploying conventionally armed missiles that for the first time are capable of striking targets deep inside the United States.

– The Hill – The Russian Navy reportedly has installed non-lethal weaponry aboard the frigates Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Kasatonov. According to official news agency RIA Novosti, the device, dubbed “Filin,” radiates a beam similar to a strobe light during nighttime operations. It is designed to disrupt eyesight among hostile ship crews, impairing their battle effectiveness to Russian advantage.

– Popular Mechanics – Newly declassified documents show that even the most secretive submarines leave a trail.

– War Zone – The first in a two part series gives un an unprecedented look at the state of Russia’s Akula class sub fleet, including some awesome interior footage.

– National Interest – A 3,700-mile endurance, roughly translating into an 1,850-mile range, could allow the upgraded Backfires to strike targets in the mid-Atlantic. With new weapons, the farther-flying Tu-22M3Ms could pose a new threat to American ships and other targets.

– USNI Blog – What is less mentioned however—and this is no less important—are the more exclusively operational aspects of the recent crisis in the Sea of Azov. Especially important would be the state of the Azov Sea littoral battlespace, current and going forward. A closer look at this matter is perhaps in order.