The Times – ‘Lost’ cargo ship Arctic Sea gives up its secrets

The crew at the centre of the hijacked cargo vessel tell of their ordeal for the first time.

AFP – Russian military plane crashes, killing 11

A Russian Tu-142 anti-submarine warfare aircraft crashed into the sea during a training exercise in Russia’s Far East region, leaving all 11 crew members missing and presumed dead.

Associated Press – Russia to buy navy ship from France

Moscow plans to buy a French amphibious assault ship, the first such purchase from a NATO country, as the Kremlin seeks to reaffirm Russia’s global reach. The Defense Ministry also plans to license the production of four more ships of the Mistral class in Russia under the guidance of French engineers.

The Times – Nato commander warns of conflict with Russia in Arctic Circle

Competition for resources in the Arctic Circle could provoke conflict between Russia and Nato, a newly appointed commander at the alliance warned yesterday.

BBC – Probing the Arctic Sea conspiracies

What really happened when the Arctic Sea cargo ship went missing amid allegations of hijacking and weapons smuggling?

The Times – Arctic Sea ‘arms ship’ has been cruising off West African coast

The mystery of the hijacked cargo ship allegedly carrying missiles to Iran deepened yesterday when it emerged that, far from limping back to a Russian port as the Kremlin had claimed, the vessel had been cruising around the Canary Islands.

Associated Press – Russia to Detain Georgian Ships Off Abkhazia

Russia heightened tensions with Georgia Tuesday by warning that it will detain Georgian ships entering the territorial waters of Abkhazia, a breakaway province allied with Moscow.

DefenseTech – A Threat to America Or?

Norman Polmar on the two Russian nuclear-propelled attack submarines that appeared off the U.S. East Coast.

New York Times – Black Sea Port Is Flash Point for Georgia and Russia

Rising tensions between Russia and Georgia over shipping rights to a breakaway Georgian region have opened a potential new theater for conflict between the countries, a little more than a year after they went to war.

Daily Telegraph – Arctic Sea ghost ship ‘was carrying weapons to Iran’

The Arctic Sea cargo ship that disappeared for almost a month earlier this summer, was carrying weapons to Iran and was being tracked by Mossad, the Israeli security service, according to reports.

Daily Telegraph – ‘Hijackers’ of Arctic Sea ghost ship in murky waters

How did petty thugs, drunks and drug dealers get arrested on a hijacked freighter and become linked to espionage, gun running and the Russian Mafia?

BBC – Russia ship mystery editor flees

A journalist has fled Russia after suggesting the Arctic Sea cargo ship that was apparently hijacked in July may have been carrying illegal weapons.

Daily Telegraph – Abkhazia threatens Georgian ships as possibility of Black Sea naval skirmish rises

A potentially dangerous new flash point between Russia and Georgia is emerging: naval skirmishing in the Black Sea.

Defense Technology International – Russia Surprises France with Mistral Announcement

Russia is considering buying at least one French-built Mistral-class helicopter landing dock.

The Times – Russia says it tracked hijacked Arctic Sea all along, but questions grow over cargo

Russia’s top general hinted today that the ship allegedly hijacked by pirates earlier this month may have been carrying a secret cargo, as it emerged that the country’s Navy tracked the vessel throughout its journey.

BBC – Russia detains ship ‘hijackers’

Eight people have been arrested for hijacking the cargo ship Arctic Sea, Russia’s defence minister says.

BBC – Russia ‘finds missing cargo ship’

Russia says it has found a missing cargo vessel near the Cape Verde islands and retrieved its Russian crew.

BBC – ‘Ransom demand’ for missing ship

Finnish police say a ransom demand has been made for a missing Russian-manned cargo vessel, the Arctic Sea.

AFP – NATO, Russia join forces in hunt for missing ship

BBC – Missing ship ‘found’ off Africa

A missing ship with 15 Russian crew members on board has been spotted more than two weeks after it disappeared.

BBC – Russian navy joins hunt for ship

Russia’s navy has been deployed to find a ship reportedly hijacked three weeks ago in the Baltic Sea.

CNN – U.S. eyes Russian submarines off East Coast

Two Russian Akula-class attack submarines have been cruising in the Atlantic off the East Coast of the United States, a senior defense official said Wednesday.

Defense Technology International – New Attack Sub Laid Down In Russia

It looks like the Russian Navy’s procurement efforts are in full swing this summer. On July 24, the new multirole Yasen-class nuclear submarine Kazan was laid down at Sevmash’s facilities in Severodvinsk.

Weekly Standard – The Fleet That Has To Die: The Russian Navy’s “Irreversible Collapse”

The reality now is that not only is the idea of Russia building and operating aircraft carrier battle groups an impossible dream, but just building enough new ships to replace those that are worn-out after decades of use is also not feasible. A recent analysis by the authoritative Moscow-based weekly, the Independent Military Review (NVO), entitled “BMF RF (Naval Military Fleet of the Russian Federation) on Foreign Warships” states that the Russian Navy is currently in a situation of irreversible collapse.

RIA Novosti – New Bulava missile test results in failure – Russian military

A scheduled test of Russia’s new Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on July 15 was a failure.

RIA Novosti – Russia’s new nuclear sub completes first round of sea trials

Russia’s newest Borey class strategic nuclear submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, has completed the first round of sea trials and is returning to a shipyard in northern Russia.

Armed Forces Journal – The Russian Navy revitalized

The Russian Navy today is not nearly as powerful as its predecessor, the Soviet Navy, at the peak of its strength in the mid-1980s. However, its prospects are brighter today than they were only few years ago. Russia seems to be determined to restore its status, and its Navy is perhaps the most effective instrument to achieve that end.