The War Zone – Ukrainian intel claims the cargo ship was headed to Syria to take Russian materiel out of the country, but Moscow says otherwise.

Army Recognition – According to information published by Russian sources on December 6, 2024, the Russian Navy is preparing to enhance its underwater warfare capabilities with the addition of the Arkhangelsk, a multipurpose nuclear-powered submarine, slated for delivery in the summer of 2025. This submarine, part of the modernized Project 885M Yasen-M class, is being constructed by Sevmash, a division of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).

(Thanks to Alain)

Reuters – Russia is disrupting mobile communications and ship-tracking data across the Baltic Sea, endangering vessels and energy supplies to test how Western powers will respond, a Polish admiral overseeing the area said.

(Thanks to Alain)

USNI News – New satellite photos from the Tartus naval base on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea show Russian Navy ships anchored off the coast of Syria after abandoning Moscow’s only overseas naval base. Photos also show the destruction of Syrian Navy missile boats at the in Latakia.

The War Zone – recent drill by the Russian Armed Forces in the Mediterranean has provided us with a more detailed view of the shadowy Zircon hypersonic missile, a weapon that has only been glimpsed in the past and shown up in the form of fragments after being combat tested in Ukraine.

USNI News – Russian Navy Improved Kilo class submarine RFS Ufa (B-588) is now operating in the East China Sea following a passage between Japanese islands in the southwest region in order to exit the Philippine Sea and enter the South China Sea.

Naval News – The Russian Navy’s base at Tartus in Syria is crucial to its support of the Assad regime, and its ambitions on the world stage. The dramatic shift in the front lines in Syria now puts the base at risk. There are indications that Russia may be evacuating its naval vessels.

UK Defence Journal – The Defence Committee discussed escalating concerns over undersea cable security in the Baltic Sea and recent sightings of the Russian spy ship Yantar in UK waters during its latest session.

Naval News – The Russian Navy, though still a serious concern for NATO, shows signs of decline reminiscent of the 1990s. Expensive reconstruction projects are struggling. Efforts to revive major warships, like the nuclear-powered battle cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, seem driven more by national pride than strategic value.

The Guardian – A Russian spy ship has been escorted out of the Irish Sea after it entered Irish-controlled waters and patrolled an area containing critical energy and internet submarine pipelines and cables.

BBC – The mystery as to why a beluga whale appeared off the coast of Norway wearing a harness may finally have been solved.

USNI News – U.S., Allies Wrestle with an Unpredictable Kremlin as the Arctic Grows More Complex.

MarineLink – Russia has begun designing nuclear-powered submarines to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Arctic to Asia to try to nearly halve the journey time along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), a senior state official has said.

(Thanks to Alain)

Bulgarian Military – The last of the Russian Navy’s six Project 636.3 submarines for the Pacific Fleet, Yakutsk, was launched today, October 11. Yakutsk is of the Varshavyanka class, and this class already includes the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Volkhov, Magadan, Ufa, and Mozhaisk submarines. They were all built at Admiralty Shipyards JSC. 

(Thanks to Alain)

CBC – After three cargo ships were hit in Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian ports this week, killing at least 10 and injuring several others, maritime analysts are warning that ship operators could start refusing to transit that stretch of the Black Sea due to the increased threat. 

Bulgarian Military – Russia’s nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine, “Emperor Alexander III,” has completed an impressive under-ice journey across six Arctic seas and recently surfaced in the eastern Arctic sector. 

(Thanks to Alain)

The War Zone – Deploying and controlling FPV drones from helicopters would be highly beneficial, allowing for rapid response with very flexible and inexpensive guided weapons.

Naval News – The “Ocean-2024” exercise, which takes place in Pacific and Arctic waters, the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Baltic Sea, began on September 10. According to official Russian media, “more than 400 combat ships, submarines and support vessels” are participating in the exercise.

Naval News – A Turkish operated merchant vessel, the MV Aya, has been hit by a supersonic anti-ship missile in the Black Sea. The Kh-22 missile was launched from a Russian Tu-22M Backfire bomber. The ship was carrying 26,550 tons of grain for Egypt.

Newport Papers – Analogous Response was a term of analytical shorthand that American strategists and intelligence analysts developed in late 1983 and early 1984. The term characterized in two words a Soviet maritime strategy of deploying off the U.S. coast submarines armed with nuclear SLCMs. By making that deployment, the Soviet leadership could establish an endo-atmospheric nuclear threat to the continental United States (CONUS) that Marshal Nikolay V. Ogarkov, chief of the General Staff of the USSR, described as follows: “The Soviet systems to be deployed in the oceans and seas and relevant to the territory of the United States itself will be no less effective than American systems that are being deployed in Europe, in range, yield, accuracy, and, what is especially important, in time of flight to their targets.”

Korabel – The Baltic Shipbuilding Plant “Yantar” today held a solemn ceremony of laying the laying of the new floating dock “Captain Anatoly Ermolaev”, which will be built within the framework of the dock program of the OSC with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. (In Russian)

(Thanks to Alain)

CNN – The US has detected increased Russian military activity around key undersea cables, and believes Russia may now be more likely to carry out potential sabotage operations aimed at disabling a critical piece of the world’s communications infrastructure, two US officials told CNN.

The Guardian – A beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir, first spotted in Norway not far from Russian waters while wearing a harness that prompted rumours he might be a spy for Moscow, has been found dead.

Naval News – On August 26, the Russian Navy commissioned another corvette (formally “small missile ship”) of the project 22800 / Karakurt-class. The Amur, is the fifth vessel of its class, armed with the Kalibr-NK missile system, to raise the Russian flag.

Naval News – Russian defense shows are known for the concept designs and models of boats and submarines which rarely get built. The current climate the market seems particularly challenging for them. Now Russian defense companies are emulating the Ukrainian and building uncrewed surface vessels. One new type appears to have a Starlink antenna.