3 out of 4 Russian Cruisers Are Now Either in the Med or the Black Sea

Russia has 4 missile cruisers in active service. The Pyotr Velikiy “battlecruiser” (another Kirov-class is in retrofit) and 3 smaller Slava-class cruisers.

All 3 Slavas are now either in the Mediterranean or the Black Sea.

Moskva is part of the Black Sea Fleet and is in the home port of Sevastopol. Varyag has sailed from the Pacific and is now in Eastern Mediterranean near Syria. Marshal Ustinov has sailed from the Arctic and has just crossed Gibraltar.

Slavas are armed with giant 5-ton anti-ship missiles with a range of 500 kilometers, but also come with S-300 air defense missiles and can provide good air cover for themselves and surrounding vessels.

This is the biggest Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean/Black Sea since 2016. At the time just 2 cruisers were present but a bigger number of destroyers than now.

There is also a rumor that the 6 Russian landing ships in Tartus, Syria will be transiting the Bosphorus on the way to Crimea this week. If so then fully two-thirds of large landing ships of the Russian Navy (13 of the 21 total, with another 2 in refit) will be concentrated in the Black Sea. Let’s see if that turns out to be the case or not.

8 Comments
  1. Ultrafart the Brave says

    Note how small the humans are compared to the machine

    Yes, it’s a big ship, no doubt about that…

    … but, with respect, I suspect that you are seeing things that are not there.

    A few (what looks like) bollards and (maybe) some barrels on deck, but probably definitely no humans in sight.

    Unless the ship is really really huge and the people are just specks on deck (but the windows on the command deck argue against that).

    1. Field Empty says

      After zooming in, you’re right. I edited out the comment.

      1. Ragheadthefiendlyterrorist says

        Very large ships are no longer a feature of modern navies (except aircraft carriers, and one can logically argue that they’re obsolete as well). Smaller, harder to detect ships with longer range electronics and weapons are the state of naval warfare art.

    2. Rabbitnexus says

      I think looking at the windows that those, I think bollards too, are bigger than a man also. The Heli-deck supports this too I think.

  2. sojourner says

    Oh how stupid humans are. Let’s see is it better to have the strongest men of your countries fight or to build great works?
    Lets see with all that strength they could have made some of the atlantic ocean go through the deserts of africa to meet the indian ocean. Could have made the indian ocean meet the pacific through australia.
    Could have has the mediterranean sea meet up with the china sea through the desert
    We mankind are stupid rofl.
    The earth will think us out if required, wars unneeded

    1. Rabbitnexus says

      We’re lumbered with some people who can’t stop making war. The problem is that while the USA is threatening, attacking and bombing all who don’t comply with their demands, everyone else is forced to build weapons to defend themselves. The USA has become anathema to the human race frankly. No other nation or its people behaves like the USA. They see everything in terms of domination, getting it over others, warfare. There’s nothing except a cosh in the US diplomatic toolbox.

    2. IMHO says

      Why would you want to do any of those things?

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