First Look - 10 June 2008

The Russian Navy Will Expand Its Presence on the World Oceans

General-Lieutenant B.Shamanov, Chief of the Combat Readiness Directorate of the General Staff announced, “The Russian Navy will expand its presence in the Atlantic, Pacific and the Northern Latitudes.”

“The Navy has a defined mission during the summer training period – presence not only in the Atlantic, but in the Pacific also. The subsurface forces of the Northern Fleet will increase its activities also,” Shamanov added.


Tu-95 Strategic Bombers Successfully Complete Their Assignment

Two Tu-95 strategic missile carriers successfully completed a flight of “great radius” according to plans to patrol the far reaches of the Arctic region.

A pair of aircraft also dealt with the issue of maximum re-fueling in the air. Having carried out the 20 hour flight, the crews returned to its home base at Engles’.

The planes were escorted by NATO fighters during the patrol.


A Task Group of Baltic Fleet Ships Participate in the Active Phase of BALTOPS-2008.

After a meeting of participants in Gdynia, Poland, a Task Group of Baltic Fleet ships set sail to take part in the active phase of the international maritime exercise BALTOPS-2008. Ships from 13 nations are participating in the exercise. The escort ship “Neustrashimyy” and the large landing ship “Kaliningrad” are representing the Russian Navy. There is a detachment of marines on the landing ship and eight armored vehicles. The escort ship has a Ka-27 embarked, whose crew made 10 training landings during the transit from Baltiysk to Gdynia.

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According to the plan of maneuver, there will be an ASW exercise, searching for and tracking submarines with helicopters. There will also be a gunnex during the active phase against surface and air targets, a maneuvering exercise, a communications exercise, an anti-air exercise, an ASW exercise against a notional enemy submarine, maritime stop and search exercises as well as anti-terrorism exercises.


The Salvage Ship “Geogriy Titov” Returns to Severomorsk.


Sevmash: We Helped Our Collegues

Sevmash workers helped test a project 971 SSN at the Amur Shipyard. A group of engineers specializing in steam pipe fitting, cooling machinery and high pressure air systems returned from a far eastern TDY. “Thanks to your workers, who offered valuable help in testing,” wrote the General Director of OAO Amur Shipyard to the leadership of OAO Sevmash, listing the workers by name. OAO Sevmash built seven project 971 boats between 1984 and 2001….

According to the newspaper “Kommersant”, construction of the project 971 SSN has stretched out to 20 years because of funding deficits at the Amur Shipyard. Workers in Severodvinsk aren’t throwing their brothers under the bus at a difficult moment – the turbines successfully took steam at the facility in Bol’shoy Kamen’. The Sevmash team plans to go back out there soon to participate in dockside trials and testing.

First Look - 28 May 2008

Capabilities of the Georgiy Titov Shown Off as Bold Monarch-2008 Continues




Russian Foreign Ministry Asserts: Black Sea Fleet Does Not Pose a Threat to Ukraine

“We pay the Ukrainians a $100 million a year for the facilities.”
The 12,000 Russian sailors and 25,000 Ukrainian employees contribute 15% of Sevastopol’s economy.


Russia Hasn’t Raised the Issue of Extending the Fleet’s Tenure in Ukraine.

The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dorokhin noted that, “We have never hid the fact that we would like to maintain our presence in Sevastopol’ past 2017”, and added that “the fleet has been there 225 years.”


The Oceangoing Minesweeper “Zheleznyakov” Has Commenced Operations in “Black Sea Harmony”

The Black Sea Fleet oceangoing minesweeper “Zheleznyakov” has gotten underway from Novorossiysk to take part in bi-lateral training with the Turkish Navy in “Black Sea Harmony”.

Operational control during the anti-terrorism exercise is effected from the permanent coordination center in the Turkish port of Eregli working with the Black Sea Fleet command post in Divnomorskoye, Russia, established to support effective participation of Russian Black Sea Fleet forces in international exercises in the Black Sea.


Black Sea Fleet Gets High Marks for the Winter Training Cycle

Results of the surface ship winter training cycle were presented at the Officer’s Club in Sevastopol’.

…In all, 18 exercises were carried out and there were 154 separate combat exercises conducted upon land, sea and air targets.

Singled out for special recognition were the crews of the missile cruiser “Moskva” and the Large Landing Ship “Tsezar’ Kunikov” for the successful tasks completed during deployment.

…The Black Sea Fleet flagship, the missile cruiser “Moskva” was named best ship for its outstanding preparation in 10 different areas, while the escort ship “Ladnyy”, large ASW ship “Kerch’” and the large landing ships “Tsezar’ Kunikov”, “Yamal” and “Saratov” also received high marks.


Northern Fleet Tight Lipped About Their Winter Training Cycle Results

The Northern Fleet press service reports that the Northern Fleet Vice Admiral Nikolay Maksimov held a meeting of the Northern Fleet Military Council in the Officer’s Club to discuss the results of the winter training cycle with the commanders of the units and detachments of the Northern Fleet.

The fleet command gave a detailed analysis of the training, pointed out the deficiencies and outlined the summer training plan.

First Look - 27 May, 2008

Video Report From "Bold Monarch-2008"



A video report from the rescue ship "Georgiy Titov" participating in Bold Monarch-2008. Footage of the rescue vessel AS-34 hooking up with a Polish submarine. Underwater footage of the AS-34 in action. Audio of the underwater communications between the participants. Animation of the plan for the exercise. Please leave requests for a full English transcript in the comments section.

Ukraine rebuffs all Russian pretensions to Sevastopol’

The world must unite in the fight against piracy.
"Coordination of naval fores in the zones where pirates are confirmed to operate will help to partially resolve this problem. Russia's Navy has actively participated in exerciese which have dealt, partially, with the issue of piracy in the last couple of years," [Navy spokesman Igor'] Dygalo said.

He also noted that the Russian Navy was reviving its presence on the world ocean.

"The fact of pirate attacks on Russian and foreign ships confirms the correctness of the course taken by the military decision makers in the Russian Federation and the General Staff of the Navy to renew the presence of Russian warships in all areas of the world ocean, especially in regions of intense fishing and shipping activity."

The Black Sea Fleet ocean-going Minesweeper "Zheleznyakov" departs for exercises with the Turkish Navy.
The goal of "Black Sea Harmony" is to interdict illegal activity, primarily terrorism and proliferation of WMD.

Trawlers suspected of poaching in the Sea of Okhotsk.
The Border Guard Patrol Ship "Antias" and the Krivak III Border Guard Escort Ship "Dzerzhinskiy" stopped two Cambodian fishing trawlers suspected of poaching.

Pacific Fleet Hospital Ship "Irtysh" returns to port after deployment.