Severodvinsk Beach An exciting view on a "Shark" class Nuclear Submarine

It is by nature that many informations about military bases concerning dimensions and facilities are outdated or not complete. My feeling is that the data provided by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies are reasonably well investigated. The same holds for the Bellona Foundation. I used - amongst many others - their Websites for background information.
The Russian Navy is divided into the Stratecic Nuclear Forces and General Purpose Forces. It consists of the following branches:
- Submarine Force
- Surface Force
- Naval Air Force
- Marines and
- Coastal Defense Troops.

The key-fleets are
- the Black Sea Fleet
- the Pacific Ocean Fleet
- the Northern Fleet and
- the Baltic Fleet.


CIS Navy Headquarters

Russian Navy patch

Navy Headquarters in Kremlin Buildings in Moscow, callsign is RIW.
RIW is a function, not a location. There is evidence the RIW operators use several callsigns from the same desk. E.g. callsign RJE56 was NCS on May 5th 2008 in a Simplex network with RJD71, RJC66 and RJD85 on 10796 kHz, but I'm sure, the operator was the RIW man. He even mixed up the callsigns once. I've observed this earlier.

Khiva (UZB) has been reported as transmitting site of RIW and DFs from my last QTH seemed to support this. In the meantime and from my new QTH all DFs point in a region around Moscow; systematic errors have lead to that confusion.

According to Navy officials, it has been decided 2007 to move the Headquarters to the old Leningrad Admirality Building in St. Petersburg. This relocation asks for long and expensive works in St.Petersburg, where many historical buildings are set in order starting 2008. The movement to St. Petersburg has not been perceived very well by many Navy members.

Frequencies of RIW: 7664, 9145//11000//14556, 17468 kHz and many others.

Northern Fleet

Headquarters in Severomorsk (Murmansk Oblast), callsign RIT. The transmitter site is possibly at 69N3.5 33E19.3 or 68N51.3 32E59.1.

Main Naval Bases and shipyards in Gremikha, Ura Guba, Zapadnaya Litsa, Severodvinsk (Arkhangelsk Oblast) and Polyarni.
The largest submarine base is located in the Gulf of Litsa with four facilities, the newest, Nerpychia, being the home port of Typhoon class submarines. Seven DELTA IV class SSBN submarines are located in Gadzhiyevo.

Flagship of the NF is "Pyotr Velickiy", a Guided Missiles Cruiser of the Kirov Class. The sole Aircraft Carrier in the CIS Navy, "Admiral Kuznetsov", the Udaloy II Class destroyer "Admiral Chabanenko" and the Sovremenny Class destroyer "Gremyashchy" are other important ships of the NF.

Frequencies of RIT: Primary 5343, 7467, 11155, 15812 kHz and many others.

RIT uses the collective callsigns RLO, RKZ, RKS and others for its fleet or for a certain task force.

Northern Fleet Facilities  Zapadnaya Litsa, partial view. Submarines classes are "Kilo", "Victor III" and "Oscar II".   Small submarine base of Ara.  "Typhoon" class submarine in Severodvinsk.  Aircraft Carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" in Murmansk.  Severomorsk 
 
     



Baltic Fleet

Headquarters in Kaliningrad, callsign RMP. There are a few possible transmitter sites, but I'm not sure about.

Main Naval Base in Baltiysk. Small, partly abandond facilities in Kronshtadt and St. Petersburg.

Flagship of the BF is the Sovremenny Class destroyer "Nastoychivy". The BF - as a relativly small unit - mostly include Frigates and Corvettes, only one or two Lada Class conventional submarines remain in Baltiysk.

Frequencies of RMP: 4051, 6873, 9373, 11418 kHz and others.

RMP uses the collective callsigns REO, RMU, RKZ and others for its fleet or for a certain task force.

Russian Enclave of Kaliningrad  Kaliningrad  Kronshtadt Naval Base, mostly abandoned today.  Baltiysk Naval Base. 
     



Black Sea Fleet



Headquarters in Sevastopol UKR, callsign RCV. The transmitter site might be near the coast at 44N26.6 34E1.5.

Small facilities in Ochakov UKR, Chernomorskoe UKR, Novoozernii UKR, Feodosiya UKR, (Novorossijsk RUS). Logistic supply base in Port of Tartous SYR (See here: Mediterranean Eskadra ).

After the desintegration of the Sovjet Union 1990 a series of agreements settled the partition of the Black Sea Fleet between Russia and the Ukraine in the relation 50:50.In the meantime (2008), only 18,5 % of the ships sail under Ukrainian flag. Russia will rent all UKR facilities until 2017. This contract however is being argued about by both parties. Several fleets facilities, lighthouses and - more important - MARS-75 Radio Navigation stations, even have been occupied by Ukrainian Nationalists. Russia 2005 announced Sevastopol will 2017 be replaced by Novorossijsk RUS, which now is an important Oil Port.
Another point of discussions is the Treaty of Montreux of 1936, which gives Turkey control of the passage of the Bosporus. Moscow, with the help of Ankara, objects US plans to expand NATO-led counterterrorism force from the Mediterranean into the Black Sea.
Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Turkey are members of the Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Group. A small Romanian unit is responsible for the lower course of the Danube with its home port Tulcea.

Frequencies of RCV: Primary 10543, others are 4055, 5224, 5312, 11688 kHz.

Flagship of the BSF is the Slava Class Guided Missile Cruiser "Moskva". Other ships are the Kashin Class Destroyer "Smetlivy", Krivak Class Frigates and Grisha Class Corvettes. It is assumed, only the "Alrosa" , a conventional Kilo Class Submarine is operational.

RCV uses the collective callsigns RKZ, RKS, RJV, RIP90, RBE86, RGX94 and others for its fleet or for a certain task force.

Black Sea  BSF communications facilities?  Sevastopol  Novorossiysk, oil port on the right.  
  Sevastopol: Submarine pens.   Sevastopol: BSF Headquarters  The formerly closed town of Balaklava. 
 



Pacific Fleet

Headquarters in Vladivostok, callsign RJS. Several possible transmitter sites, some seem to be abandoned, incl. a RDF site, others may serve for Broadcasts.

Naval Bases in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, callsign possibly RCC, Magadan (mostly abandoned), Kamchatka Shipyards, Rybachiy Submarine Base, Pavlovsk, Razboynik.
A new, and so far largest Submarine Base in the Far East, will be erected in Vilyuchinsky, in the Avacha Gulf, close to Rybachiy Submarine Base. The new BOREI class submarines will be stationed there. This clearly indicates Russias new doctrin with its priorities in the Far East to the debit of the Northern Fleet.

Flagsip of the PF is Slava Class Guided Missile Cruiser "Varyag". Other important ships are 5 Sovremenny Class and Udaloy Class destroyers. There is a whole series of nuclear powered and conventional submarines. It is not clear, how many still are operational. Contrary to all what's been waffled since 1991, both the Northern - and Pacific Fleet still have a frightening fire-power.

Frequencies of RJS: 4048, 10203, 13636, 7632 kHz.

Vladivostok isn't an easy one to intercept in Western Europe; therefore there is very little data available about traffic, callsigns etc.

Pacific Fleet Facilities  Vladivostok.   Pavlovsk Naval Base.  Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy   Rybachiy Submarine Base, in Avacha Gulf (Krasheninnikov Bay). This is the HQ of the 16th Squadron of Submarines. 
  Terebilovka (Vladivostok), submarines.        
     



Caspian Flotilla

Headquarters in Astrakhan RUS, callsign RKN

Naval bases in Aktau KAZ, Fort Shevchenko and Aral planned.

Frequencies: 5400.5 kHz

Russia has beefed up its Caspian military presence recently. The flotilla now (2008) includes 2 frigates, 12 patrol ships and a variety of small vessels for coastal defense, waterway patrol and littoral warfare. In 2004 the 500 tons diplacement Buyan Class Corvette "Astrakhan" and the stealth technology Gepard Class Frigate "Tatarstan" have been launched.

Command and facilities are shared with Azerbaijan and Kazakstan. Communications on shortwaves so far reported, concern weather bulletins and Nautical Warnings.

Frigate "Tatarstan".  The "Astrakhan".  Naval pier in Astrakhan.   Kaspiysk, patrol boats (left), the incredible "Ekranoplan" (right). 


Mediterranean Eskadra

Port of Latkia (SYR)

Headquarters: none
The 720th Logistics Support Point in Tartous (SYR) since the 1970s.

The Warsaw Pact ceased to exist in 1991 and the powerful 5th Sovjet Eskadra with its flagships callsign UAHY withdrew from the Mediterranean. In 1996 battle ships, guided missile cruisers and auxiliary vessels for the first time again deployed in the Mediterranean to show flag. Since then units of the CIS Navy, mostly of the Black Sea Fleet, take part in naval exercises and anti-terrorist campaigns. Late in 2007 Russia announced it would resume its regular patrols in the Northern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea.


Port of Tartous (SYR)

In June 2006 Russian sources made public, that Russia wants to expand Naval presence in the two Syrian ports of Tartous and Latkia (Latakia). The fully-fledged bases should help to redeploy the naval and supply ships leaving Sevastopol. The bases are to be protected by the most advanced longe range air defense system S-300 PMU-2 Favorit. For a picture see: PVO Air Defense Morse Networks . BSF bases in Syria would be in addition to its expanding port in Novorossysk.
(AFP, Moscow)
In the meantime new docks are reported from Latakia (April 2008).



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