Russian-Egyptian naval drills to enter active phase on June 10

 

The eight-day drills will involve Russia’s missile cruiser Moskva, with Ka-27 helicopter, corvette Samum, landing ship Alexander Shabalin, tanker Ivan Bubnov and a tugboat MB-31

MOSCOW, June9. /TASS/. The active phase of the Russian-Egyptian Friendship Bridge-2015 joint naval exercise will start on June 10, captain Igor Dygalo told reporters.

Russian Ships ’Able to React’ in Case of Syria Escalation

Russian naval vessels in the Mediterranean are capable of reacting to an escalation in the Syria conflict, a military source said Wednesday, as Moscow fine tunes its maritime presence ahead of possible US military action.

“Today we consider our presence in the eastern Mediterranean to be sufficient to solve the tasks. If necessary, together with submarine forces, they (the ships) are capable even today of influencing a military situation,” a general staff source told the Interfax news agency.

Russian Navy makes rare port call in Lebanon

MOSCOW — The Russian Navy sent three vessels to the port of Beirut in 2013 on invitation of the Lebanese military and government.

“This visit was on invitation of the Lebanese side,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Russian warships head to Syria in show of power

Russia has been a close ally of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad and has strategic and economic interests in the country.

The Defense Ministry said the landing ships Kaliningrad and Alexander Shabalin are en route to the region from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Two other big landing ships, the Saratov and the Azov, are scheduled to join them by the end of February.

Russian Naval Task Force Heads for Gulf of Aden

From the state-run (FSB) Soviet media:

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) – A naval task force from Russia’s Northern Fleet left the Severomorsk base on Wednesday and set course for the Horn of Africa on a new anti-piracy mission, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

It includes the large antisubmarine ship Severomorsk, the salvage tug Altai, and the tanker Dubna, as well as a contingent of naval infantry subunits.

Russian warships sail for Syria, large anti-submarine ship for waters near Iran

Russian warships set out Tuesday, Dec. 18, for two Middle East flashpoint destinations: Naval sources in Moscow reported that two assault ships, a tanker and an escort vessel were detached from the Baltic Fleet and are sailing for the Syrian port of Tartus – possibly to evacuate Russian citizens. A second naval group led by Russia’s largest anti-submarine vessel, the Severomorsk, is on its way to the Gulfs of Aden and Oman close to the Persian Gulf and Iran.