Russian Navy in Eastern Mediterranean - 10 Sept
Still busy in Eastern Mediterranean: TV footage shows a 20 + Russian Navy formation steaming in lines. Most of them are support and auxiliaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs50hBSkH6M
A brief rundown of the ships featured in this footage.
You will notice the light coloured ship behind the presenter at the beginning of the video: this is #NATO SNMG 2 watching the #RussianNavy #вмф The faithful NATO duty watcher of the ‘Marshal Ustinov’ group is: #Dutch HNLMS ‘De Ruyter’.
Currently deployed in the Med in addition to HNLMS ‘De Ruyter’, there are also the:
- ESPS ‘Cristobal Colon’ (Spain)
- HMCS ‘Ville de Quebec’ (Canada)
- HS 'Elli' (Greek)
https://twitter.com/nato_marcom/status/1037288…
No images of the Spanish or Greek warships near to the вмф group though.
Maritime Situational awareness is NATO speak for watching the Russians or anyone else who isn't in NATO. (In my area of shipping, this term simply means keeping your ship safe navigational safe by using equipment on bridge and latest meteorology forecasts).
Notice how the core of this group are the Soviet ‘oldies’:
- Black sea fleet Krivak-class Frigate 'Pytlivyy'
- Baltic fleet Neustrashimyy-class Frigate 'Yaroslav Mudryy'
- Northern fleet Slava-class Cruiser 'Marshal Ustinov', along with its escort the
- Northern fleet Udaloy-class Destroyer 'Severomorsk'.
The modern Buyan-Class are the outliers of the group and make a brief appearance in the distance along with the LSTs in this video still:
- 'Vyshniy Volochek'
- 'Grad Sviyazhsk'
- 'Velikiy Ustyug'
The Caspian Flotilla- based ships are certainly getting a different training perspective, what with US Navy, USAF and NATO aerial surveillance and NATO's surface (and sub-surface) Maritime Situational Awareness missions.
(The Buyans have a distinctive radar housing on the mast).
Also featured in the video are the LSTs:
Close up of the Black sea fleet Alligator-class landing ship "Orsk" In the background what seems to a repair ship class. Then there is the LST "Nikolay Filchenkov" and “Azov”
It seems that one of the Grigorovich-class frigates is in the image above, part of the outer parameter.
The minesweepers was there: the "Turbinist" and Natya class MS "Valentin Pikul".
Certainly seen was the Project 22870 rescue tug “Prof Nikolay Muru"; its white superstructure noticeable. And also replenishment tanker was at the back. Probably the “Dubna” since it was part of the “Marshal Ustinov” group.
