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Russian Defense Ministry News

15 Aug 2023

'Stop machine' - Russia Releases Video Showing Navy Boarding Cargo Ship in Black Sea

Screenshot from Russian Defense Ministry's video

Russia on Tuesday released video footage showing an armed naval inspection unit boarding a cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea on Sunday and questioning the captain about why the ship had not stopped when demanded to by a Russian warship.Russia said that it fired warning shots with automatic weapons at the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan vessel after it failed to respond to a demand for it to halt, though it was unclear why the ship was boarded so close to Turkey.In a video released by the Russian defense ministry…

04 Aug 2023

Russian Warship Damaged in Ukrainian Attack on Novorossiysk Naval Base

Image for Illustration only - A Russian Navy Ship in Novorossiysk Credit: olgavolodina/AdobeStock

A Russian warship was seriously damaged in an overnight Ukrainian naval drone attack on Russia's Black Sea navy base at Novorossiysk, two sources said on Friday, after Russia said it had fended off the attack.The civilian port, which handles 2% of the world's oil supply and also exports grain, temporarily halted all ship movement before resuming normal operations, according to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium which operates an oil terminal there. Russia's Defence Ministry said…

07 Nov 2022

Ukraine Says Russia Destroying Civilian Ships on the Dnipro River

© ronedya / Adobe Stock

Ukraine’s army accused Russia on Sunday of the large-scale destruction of civilian vessels moored on the banks of the Dnipro River in the occupied southern region of Kherson that Kyiv’s forces are trying to capture.Ukrainian forces have been piling pressure on Russian troops on the western bank of the Dnipro that bisects Ukraine, fueling speculation that Moscow’s troops are preparing to retreat to the other side.The Ukrainian General Staff’s spokesperson said in a statement that…

02 Nov 2022

Russia Resumes Participation in Ukraine Grain Export Deal

©Elena/AdobeStock

Russia said on Wednesday it would resume its participation in a deal to free up vital grain exports from war-torn Ukraine after suspending it over the weekend in a move that had threatened to exacerbate hunger across the world. The Russian defense ministry said it had received written guarantees from Kyiv not to use the Black Sea grain corridor for military operations against Russia. "The Russian Federation considers that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement," the ministry statement said.

31 Oct 2022

Russia Suspends Participation in Grain Deal Citing Black Sea Fleet Drone Attack

Credit: Eugene/AdobeStock

The United Nations, Turkey, and Ukraine are pressing ahead to implement a Black Sea grain deal with a transit plan in place for 16 ships on Monday, despite Russia suspending its participation in the pact that has allowed the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to world markets.Russia, which invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, halted its role in the Black Sea deal on Saturday for an "indefinite term" because it said it could not "guarantee safety of civilian ships" travelling under the pact after an attack on its Black Sea fleet.The United Nations and Turkey…

25 Jul 2022

Russian Missiles Hit Ukraine Port

© Valentin Kundeus / Adobe Stock

Russian missiles hit Ukraine's southern port of Odesa on Saturday, the Ukrainian military said, threatening a deal signed just a day earlier to unblock grain exports from Black Sea ports and ease global food shortages caused by the war.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the strike blatant "barbarism" showing Moscow could not be trusted to implement the deal. However, public broadcaster Suspilne quoted the Ukrainian military as saying the missiles had not caused significant…

17 Jun 2022

Ukraine Says it Hit Russian Naval Tugboat with Harpoon Missiles

Ukraine said its forces hit a Russian naval tugboat with two Harpoon missiles in the Black Sea on Friday, the first time it has claimed to have struck a Russian vessel with Western-supplied anti-ship weapons.The tugboat, identified as the Vasiliy Bekh by Odesa region's governor, had been transporting soldiers, weapons and ammunition to the Russian-occupied Zmiinyi (Snake) Island in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian navy said.The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.The Ukrainian military published a video of what it said were two Harpoon missiles hitting the vessel on the Telegram app. Reuters could not independently verify the footage."During the full-scale war in the Black Sea…

18 Apr 2022

Russian Navy Head Meets Crew of Sunken Missile Cruiser

(Photo: Russian Defense Ministry)

The head of the Russian navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, has met with crew members from the sunken missile cruiser Moskva and said they would continue to serve in the navy, the defense ministry said on Saturday. Russia said on Thursday the Moskva sank after an ammunition explosion. Ukraine said it hit the vessel, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, with a missile.The Russian defense ministry released a 26-second video showing Yevmenov and two other officers standing outside in front of around 100 sailors on a parade ground.

14 Feb 2022

US Denies Its Submarine Entered Russian Territorial Waters

(File photo: Ian Zagrocki / U.S. Navy)

The United States on Saturday denied that it had carried out military operations in Russian territorial waters, after Moscow said a Russian naval vessel chased away a U.S. submarine in Russian waters in the Pacific.Russia accused Washington of breaking international law and creating a national security threat over the incident at a time of high tensions between Moscow and Washington over a Russian military buildup near Ukraine.Interfax news agency cited the Russian Defense Ministry as saying a Russian naval vessel chased away a U.S.

05 Nov 2021

U.S. Navy Ship Tracked by Russia on Entry to Black Sea

Mount Whitney - File Photo: U.S. Navy

A U.S. naval command ship entered the Black Sea on Thursday as part of NATO maneuvers that drew a warm welcome from Ukraine but close scrutiny from the Russian navy. The U.S. navy said the Mount Whitney was in the region to conduct routine maritime operations with NATO allies and partners. The Black Sea - in particular the area near the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 - is a sensitive security zone for Moscow. "The forces and means of the Black Sea Fleet have started monitoring the actions of the Mount Whitney command ship…

15 Oct 2021

Russia Says it Chased US Naval Destroyer From its Waters

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) (Photo: Daniel Barker / U.S. Navy)

Russia said one of its military vessels chased away a U.S. naval destroyer that attempted to violate Russian territorial waters during Russian-Chinese naval drills in the Sea of Japan on Friday.There was no immediate comment from the U.S. side.The Russian defense ministry said the crew of a Russian anti-submarine vessel, the Admiral Tributs, had radioed a warning to the USS Chafee that it was "in an area closed to navigation due to exercises with artillery fire".The U.S. destroyer failed to change course and instead raised flags indicating it was preparing to launch a helicopter from its deck…

29 Jun 2021

Russian Jets Harass Dutch Frigate in Black Sea

(Photo: CC BY-SA 2.5 / User:Heb on Wikimedia Commons)

The Netherlands' defense minister said on Tuesday that Russian fighter jets armed with air-to-surface missiles had harassed a Dutch navy frigate in the Black Sea earlier this month, conducting mock attacks and jamming communication systems.The Russian defense ministry said it had scrambled fighter jets and bombers to prevent the frigate from entering Russian waters, according to news agencies.The Russian military said the warplanes flew at a safe distance from the vessel and in…

03 Oct 2016

Choke Points are Flash Points

Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 fly in formation above USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106) during an air-and-sea-power demonstration. Providing a ready force supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, John C. Stennis is operating as part of the Great Green Fleet on a regularly scheduled 7th Fleet deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Tomas Compian)

The world is closely watching several contentious flash points that have potential to ignite. The behavior and rhetoric of China and Russia regarding vital shipping lanes in international waters have been alarming. Disputed sovereignty claims and efforts to enforce them have the maritime world on edge. China’s nine-dash line claims about owning the entire East and South China Sea have created a dilemma for themselves and the other nations in the region. The Philippines v. China case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague commenced on Jan.

16 Aug 2016

Russia Begins Naval Drill in Mediterranean near Syria

The Russian military has begun a naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Syria, to test its ability to deal with "crisis situations caused by terrorist threats," according to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry. The maneuvers in the Mediterranean are held in accordance to the combat training plan of the Russian Navy. The live-fire exercise comes while Russian forces are actively involved in fighting in Syria, where Russia maintains its only naval base in the Mediterranean. The exercise will include "artillery and missile firing in conditions close(ly) resembling" actual combat, the ministry's statement said.

03 Jul 2016

U.S. Accuses Russian Warship of Aggressive Maneuvers

A Russian warship carried out aggressive and erratic maneuvers close to a U.S. Navy ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the second such Cold War-style incident there in a matter of weeks, the U.S. military said on Saturday. The U.S. European Command said the Russian frigate, Yaroslav Mudry, came unnecessarily close to the guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto on June 30 and maneuvered in its wake. In a statement, EUCOM said the U.S. ship had not been threatened and it maintained course and speed. There have been several similar incidents - reminiscent of Cold War confrontations between the rival superpowers - at sea and in the air in recent months, with the U.S. and Russian militaries accusing each other of dangerous approaches in international waters and airspace. U.S.

02 Jul 2016

Russian Warship made 'unprofessional' Maneuver-U.S. Official

A Russian warship carried out "unprofessional" maritime operations in close proximity to a U.S. Navy ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, a U.S. Defense official said on Friday. This is the second time the same Russian vessel has come within close proximity of a U.S. Navy ship this month. On June 17, the Yaroslav Mudryy came within 315 yards (288 meters) of the USS Gravely, an incident U.S. officials called "unsafe and unprofessional," but which the Russian Defense Ministry disputed. Recent months have seen a number of similar Cold War-style incidents at sea and in the air, with each country's military accusing the other of dangerous approaches in international waters and airspace. The U.S.

10 Dec 2015

Russia Launches Syria Submarine Strikes

Russian media reports that a Russian diesel-electric submarine operating submerged in the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday launched Kalibr cruise missiles at  Islamic State terrorists’ (ISIL) vital facilities for first time in Syria. Agence France-Presse, citing Russian news agencies, reported that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the military had launched strikes in Syria for the first time from a submarine stationed in the Mediterranean. The 3M-54 Kalibr missiles were launched from the Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine “Rostov-on-Don”, Defense Minister told President Vladimir Putin. Russia’s warships based in the Caspian and Mediterranean seas launched similar missiles targeting ISIL Takfiri group (so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Levant) positions in late November.

20 Mar 2015

It's Official: Sweden Boosts Submarine Fleet

Sweden has given a long-awaited green light to the planned procurement of two new-generation A26 submarines from Saab Kockums. Sweden's official announcement ordering two new submarines to boost its armed forces, months after a futile hunt for a suspected Russian mini-sub in the Stockholm archipelago. A statement released by the defence minister's office on 19 March said that the A26 order will secure Sweden's submarine capability beyond 2030. The subs are also set to be delivered by 2022 at the latest. "The order... will ensure Sweden's underwater capacity beyond 2030," Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said in a statement. "Underwater capacity is a central part of Sweden's defence in peace time, as well as during emergencies and war," the ministry added.

04 Apr 2015

Russia Slams Reports of Trawler Sinking on Striking Submarine

The Russian Defense Ministry has rejected the media reports that the Russian trawler tragedy in the Sea of Okhotsk that claimed 56 lives was due to a collision with a submarine, informs the state news agency TASS. Russian media quoted the spokesman for the Russian Navy, Gen. "All the information spread by some mass media and social networks that the cause of the shipwreck in the Sea of Okhotsk of a big autonomy trawler Dalniy Vostok could have been a collision with a Russian submarine is false," Konashenkov said. The 'Dalniy Vostok' freezer trawler capsized in the Sea of Okhotsk 330 km west of Krutogorovsky settlement in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula and 250 km south of the city of Magadan on Thursday.

11 Jun 2015

Russia, China Hold Joint Naval Exercises

The second stage of Russia-China "Joint Sea 2015" maritime exercises are taking place on June 8-11 in Russia’s Far Eastern Primorsky Territory, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry’s Eastern Military District press service. The joint exercise will include troop landing practices and reconnaissance missions. "As part of the upcoming joint Russian-Chinese naval drills, Joint Sea 2015 [II] at the firing range at Cape Klerk the airborne and amphibious landing will be practiced," Pacific Fleet’s spokesman Captain 1st Rank Roman Martov said. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that officers from the Russian Eastern Military District…

04 Sep 2015

Russian Spy Ship near US Nuke Submarine Bases

Fox News and the Washington Free Beacon reported the presence of a  top Russian spy ship off the coast of Kings Bay, Georgia and is capable of cutting undersea cables. The Pentagon responded to the media reports that it was closely being monitored by defense agencies but declined to give a location of the Russian vessel. "The U.S. intelligence ships, aircraft and satellites are closely watching the Russian military vessel in the Atlantic that has been sailing near a U.S. nuclear missile submarine base and underwater transit routes," say Pentagon officials. The Russian research ship Yantar has been tracked from the northern Atlantic near Canada since late August as it makes its way south toward Cuba.

09 Sep 2015

Russia Sends Ships, Aircraft and Forces to Syria

Russia has sent two tank landing ships and additional aircraft to Syria in the past day or so and has deployed a small number of forces there, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in the latest signs of a military buildup that has put Washington on edge. The two U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the intent of Russia's military moves in Syria remained unclear. U.S. officials have not ruled out the possibility that Moscow may be laying the groundwork for an air combat role in Syria's conflict to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Assad, a longtime Russian ally, has seen the area he controls whittled down to a fifth or less of Syria's territory after more than four years of grinding civil war.

11 Jul 2012

Russian Warships to Exercise in Atlantic, Mediterranean

Udaloy-class Destroyer: Photo credit Wikipedia CCL

The task force comprises warships from Russia’s Northern, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, a ministry official informed RIA Novosti. “The ships are headed toward the northern Atlantic,” he said. The task force is comprised of the Admiral Chabanenko Udaloy II-class destroyer, the Alexander Otrakovsky, Georgy Pobedonosets and Kondopoga large amphibious assault ships, as well as the Nikolai Chiker and Sergei Osipov support vessels. The force will be joined in the northern Atlantic by a group of Baltic Fleet ships, including the Yaroslav Mudry frigate and the Lena tanker.