– War is Boring – On Nov. 4, Russia’s Regional Development Ministry concluded in a report that Moscow was unprepared for a war in the Arctic. Over the next two days, the Kremlin and it partners in the press moved quickly to assure the world that they were stepping up their efforts to establish their military presence in the land of the North Pole — with a nuclear-powered icebreaker and a squadron of warships.

– War is Boring – Nuclear contamination has been a persistent source of danger along Russia’s Arctic coast.

– Navy Recognition – Vladivostok, the first of two BPC-type vessels (LHD – Landing Helicopter Dock) on order from DCNS for the Russian Federation was floated out of its building dock at STX France’s Saint-Nazaire shipyard on 15 October. The event was attended by senior officials representing the French and Russian navies and shipbuilding industries. The programme has proceeded as planned since the contract came into force in late 2011, with the vessels on schedule for delivery in late 2014 and late 2015 respectively.

– RIA Novosti – The Russian Navy intends to build its presence in the Mediterranean Sea – particularly in the area close to Syrian shores – to up to 10 battleships, announced Admiral of the Fleet Viktor Chirkov.

– Chicago Tribune – The three Russian ships en route to the region include two amphibious landing vessels, the Novocherkassk and the Minsk, and the Priazovye reconnaissance ship. Another landing vessel, the Nikolay Filchikov, was headed to the Russian port of Novorossiysk to collect unspecified cargo for Syria. A guided-missile destroyer was also expected to join the fleet in the region.

– US Naval Institute Proceedings – A new breed of ‘alarmingly sophisticated’ submarines stirs memories of past Soviet aggression, just as Moscow becomes increasingly assertive on the international stage.

– RIA Novosti – The Russian Navy will receive 36 warships in 2013, an unprecedented number in Russia’s history

– Medium – Should America panic or not?

– Washington Post – Russia has evacuated all military personnel from its small naval base in Syria.

– Reuters – Russia plans to resume nuclear submarine patrols in the southern seas after a hiatus of more than 20 years following the break-up of the Soviet Union, Itar-Tass news agency reported on Saturday, in another example of efforts to revive Moscow’s military.

– Washington Times – A Russian bomber recently carried out simulated cruise missile attacks on U.S. missile defenses in Asia, raising new questions about Moscow’s goal in future U.S.-Russian defense talks. According to U.S. officials, a Russian Tu-22M Backfire bomber on Feb. 26 simulated firing air-launched cruise missiles at an Aegis ship deployed near Japan as part of U.S. missile defenses.

– RIA Novosti – The Russian Navy will refit, modernize and recommission two Sierra class (Project 945) titanium-hull nuclear-powered attack submarines by 2017, the Zvezdochka shipyard said on Tuesday.

– RIA Novosti – The Russian Navy’s Udaloy-class destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov has completed an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden and set course for its Vladivostok base.

– RIA Novosti – Two amphibious assault ships bought for the Russian Navy from France in a 1.2 billion euro deal will not be able to operate in temperatures below seven degrees centigrade, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin admitted on Saturday, in critical comments about the contract.

– BBC – The Russian authorities are investigating whether a sunken Soviet nuclear-powered submarine, the K-27, can be safely raised so that the uranium in its reactors may be removed.

– Aviation Week – The First Borei class (project 955) nuclear-powered submarine, Yuri Dolgorukiy, entered service with the Russian Navy today.

– AP – The Russian navy on Thursday hoisted its flag on a new nuclear powered submarine intended to form a key part of the country’s future nuclear deterrent.

– RIA Novosti – Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and Baltic Fleets are to start exercises off the coast of Syria.

– Wired – The Russian navy is about to stage its largest war exercise in a long time — possibly the largest since before the breakup of the Soviet Union. It’s a chance for President Vladimir Putin to show off his military might, of course. But the exercise may also be a subtle warning to the United States: Stay clear of waters that traditionally lie in Russia’s sphere of influence.

– RT – Super-modern, powerful and almost noiseless Russian nuclear submarine Vladimir Monomakh has been put in water to become the third ship of the Borei project. The cruiser is about to begin sea trials and mooring to become fully operational in 2013.

– AP – Russian news agencies say the navy is sending another ship to the Syrian port of Tartus, where Russia has a naval base.

– Los Angeles Times – A group of Russian warships was en route to the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday with the possible mission to evacuate citizens of their nation from Syria, the Russian news agency Interfax reported Tuesday.

– UPI – A Russian task force led by a destroyer was deployed to the Gulf of Aden on a mission to deter activities by Somali pirates, officials say.

– Barents Observer – Russia’s first stealth technology frigate «Admiral Gorshkov» is ready for sea trials in the Barents Sea before entering service in the Northern Fleet.

– Defence Talk – The flagship of Russia’s Northern Fleet, nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, has carried out missile defense drills during the current patrol-and-training mission in the Arctic. Pyotr Veliky is the only Russian warship with sufficient capability to thwart massive attacks by cruise and ballistic missiles.