The Black Sea Fleet

[Pelican]

Some sources indicate that The Black Sea Fleet is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea.

Russia announces 25-ship Mediterranean Sea drill

"Maneuvers will be spearheaded by Sava-class guided missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov. Photo: Russian defense ministry
Just days after media reports on Russia’s naval buildup in the Mediterranean Sea first emerged, the country’s defense ministry on Thursday announced a large-scale drill in the Mediterranean.
Prior to the defense ministry’s announcement, the Russian Navy was said to have a little over ten warships sailing off the coast of Syria as the country’s president Bashar al-Assad prepares an operation against rebel positions in the northern Idlib province.
According to the TASS news agency, the naval exercise which is set to start on September 1 will involve 25 warships and some 30 aircraft.
Participating units will take part in anti-air and anti-submarine warfare maneuvers in addition to mine countermeasure operations. The exercise is scheduled to conclude on September 8.
The naval units, led by guided-missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov, will be joined by Tu-160 bombers and Su-33 and Su-30SM fighter jets in addition to other aircraft."
From:
https://navaltoday.com/2018/08/30/russi ... sea-drill/

Extract from an article from the link below which seems to be reasonably up to date:
"Due to the stipulations of the 1936 Montreux Convention that gives control of the Bosporus Straits and the Dardanelles to Turkey, Russia is restricted in how it is allowed to move its naval forces—particularly aircraft carriers and submarines—through those waterways. However, Moscow’s loss is Washington and NATO’s gain—but if the Kremlin manages to sway Turkey into its orbit , the tables would turn in Russia’s favor.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-b ... leet-26352

[designeraccd]

Attached is the current Russian SAG in the Med. Units from both the Black Sea and Northern Fleet.....DFO

[ivorthediver]

Thanks Dennis , good to see you have your eye on them

[designeraccd]

Apparently one of these intelligence ships went south, thru the English Channel last week, heading towards the Med. Shades of the old Sov Escadra Med......... DFO

[ivorthediver]

Hummm have to get our Harry to place some "Hartleys" on his antenna Dennis , or crop his feeds

[Pelican]

Why Is a Russian Naval Fleet Gathering Near Syria?
In late August 2018 Russia launched a naval deployment in the western Mediterranean off the Syrian coast. It was Moscow’s biggest such deployment since the end of the Cold War.
The size of the naval force – more than a dozen vessels including destroyers, frigates and submarines, some armed with Kalibr cruise missiles – also demonstrates that this “deployment is mainly, but not only for military drills,” said Kerim Has, a Moscow-based analyst on Russian and Turkish affairs.
From - https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... yria-30462
See also - https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/ru ... ast-video/
"The exercises began on 1 September and will run until Saturday.
A total of 26 ships, two submarines and 34 aircraft are involved."

[designeraccd]

Why? So Czar Vlad can flex his muscles and show support for Assad. Power politics, circa 1894...oopz, 2018..

BTW, the Pacific Russian Fleet has started a similar exercise, lead by the SLAVA class CG based in the Pacific, VARYAG. DFO

[ivorthediver]

Well who knows where Mr Putin is concerned , he is either posturing , Sabre rattling , or applying some form of stress to someone

[designeraccd]

The current head of the Russian Navy is now in Syria(?) to inspect the ongoing "exercise" on and over the eastern Med off Syria. Another Russian naval exercise is or is about to start in the Far East, too. DFO

[Pelican]

Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) continues to monitor ‘substantial’ Russian naval activity in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and will revise the schedule for exercises, say the alliance.
NATO says it will postpone exercise Dynamic Guard to provide flexibility in the schedule to support Allied operational interests.
This move is in response to Russia staging a large-scale military exercise in the Mediterranean Sea near Syria, involving both its Navy and Air Force. The drills were held amid ongoing escalation around Idlib.
Footage released by Russia’s Defence Ministry shows Russian Forces landing on the shores of Syria’s Latakia province. The troops used helicopters, fast-attack craft and armoured vehicles while landing from amphibious ships under the cover of combat aircraft.
Note link in full article here - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/nato-sh ... no_cache=1