– 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.

– Free Beacon – Russian attack submarine sailed in Gulf of Mexico undetected for weeks, U.S. officials say.

The Pentagon denies the story.

– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Russia’s warship construction may be on the rise again, but the Russian naval mission of the 21st century appears markedly evolved from the Soviet naval mission of the 20th century.

– Daily Telegraph – Russia is preparing to send two amphibious assault ships to the Syrian port of Tartus. The move is seen as an attempt to ensure the safety of Russian nationals stationed at the strategic naval base Moscow operates on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

– Wired – Driving through the cavernous entrance carved into the heavy rock of the mountain was pure James Bond, but the base that unfolded inside was a hard-hitting mix of superspy fantasy and the coarse reality of the Cold War world in which it played a key part.

– UPI – Test launches for the submarine-based Bulava missile, a Russian weapon with a history of failures, are scheduled for the fall, the sub builder says.

– English Russia – A photo essay looking inside the factory where the Kilo-class submarines are built and overhauled.

– Russian Navy – Russian sub had nukes aboard during fire – A Russian sub had nuclear-tipped missiles and other weapons aboard when it caught fire in dry dock during December repairs in the arctic.

– The Economist – The Syrian port of Tartus is Russia’s only military base outside the old Soviet Union. Moreover, Russia is the Syrian regime’s only big-power friend. So the arrival there of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft-carrier and a few other warships earlier this month brought a warm welcome from Bashar Assad’s defence minister, General Dawood Rajiha, who praised Russia’s “honourable” support for his government.