A Russian group, the ASW ship Severomorsk and tanker Kama, docked in Algiers on 11 March 2026 under the Algeria–Russia military cooperation program. The visit highlights growing naval ties and may indicate Russia currently lacks full operational access to its traditional naval hub in Tartus, Syria.

On Feb 7, 2026, the Russian-flagged BALTIC LEADER (IMO 9220639) reactivated its AIS after a long period of inactivity. Currently north of Port Said, it came from south of Cyprus. This move, linked to the Syrian Express, raises questions about its timing and potential geopolitical implications.

[1/2] RF Navy Pacific Fleet Steregushchiy-class corvettes Rezkiy and Sovershennyy + Dubna-class oiler Pechenga departed Vladivostok on/about 12 Feb for Asia-Pacific regional deployment that will span several months. tass.ru/armiya-i-opk...

Update – LADY MARIIA (IMO 9220641) AIS now places the Russian-flagged Ro-Ro vessel LADY MARIIA in the Arabian Sea at 99.1 knots — an impossible speed for this class. The data strongly suggests AIS spoofing or manipulated positioning. On 11 Feb the vessel was reported stationary off Oran.

The Russian landing ship **RFS Aleksandr Shabalin** escorted the cargo vessel **MV Sabetta** westbound through the English Channel while transiting UK waters. Open-source tracking shows the ship heading to Conakry with reportedly sensitive cargo, raising questions about the nature of the shipment.

#RDN #RoyalDanishNavy nearby bsky.app/profile/vess...

IRANIAN CONTAINER SHIP HEADING FOR AARHUS. Denmark’s special crime unit confirms to me that it’s preparing to board and search the Iranian flagged vessel Nora, IMO: 9259408. The ship has been anchored in the Kattegat for weeks after being detained for sailing under a false flag.

🚨 OSINT Alert: The Russian-flagged fish factory ship BORIS SYROMYATNIKOV (IMO 8607414) currently near Casablanca is now showing unusual activity west of Ireland. Suspicious patterns detected—details to follow in our upcoming blog post on Russia Maritime Watch.

SABETTA (IMO 9347061), Russian-flagged general cargo vessel, is currently in the North East Atlantic west of Portugal, listed “for orders” and appearing to head toward the Mediterranean. Recent AIS data shows multiple stops and irregular movements in previous days.

SIYANIE SEVERA (9250385), a Russian-flagged general cargo vessel sanctioned under US Executive Order 14024 and tied to Northern Shipping Company, is anchored off Istanbul with opaque routing back toward Arkhangelsk — patterns consistent with sanction-evasion and military logistics.

Update — PORONAI (IMO 9311919) The Russian-flagged fishing vessel PORONAI is sailing south of Pantelleria in the Central Mediterranean, bound for Said per AIS data. It is following a southern route outside the main commercial corridor north of Pantelleria and Malta. Likely weather-related deviation.

🚨🇷🇺 Spotted 🛰: Udaloy destroyer SEVEROMORSK off Tartus, Syria 🇸🇾 📍 34.784, 35.598 SEVEROMORSK's last known location was off Sardinia 🇮🇹, when she escorted cargo SPARTA IV.

17 Feb 2026, 13:00 UTC: Russian tanker KAMA (MMSI 273540290) is transiting westbound in the Eastern Mediterranean at ~10 kts after leaving Tartus. As a fleet replenishment vessel, her movement likely supports Russian naval units operating in the area. AIS monitoring ongoing.

The Russian fishing vessel Poronai (9311919) departed Murmansk Jan 27, now declaring Port Said. No prior AIS in the Med; current signals active only. Visual confirmation by @key2med. Upcoming analysis will highlight suspicious northern-seas activity with other vessels and unusual encounters.

Weather window opens at 20 UTC for 24 hours. Units could leave Sardinian waters for Algiers to seek shelter before conditions deteriorate. This is a strategic window to move ahead of the forecasted storm.

New analysis: Tobruk strengthening as a Russian logistics hub; the sanctioned ship Mys Zhelaniya later loitered in the Black Sea — behavior consistent with probable experimental testing. Full analysis: wix.to/yOYji8L #BlackSea #OSINT #MaritimeIntel #Russia

Sparta IV #SpartIV 9743033 off #Sardinia #Italy. Hovering above subsea powercable? #Russia #Mediterranean @rfnosblog.bsky.social @spectrecrouton.bsky.social @pa.nton.cx @auonsson.bsky.social

Estonian authorities stopped the container ship *Baltic Spirit* (9765873) near Naissaar on Feb 3 in a joint operation with border police, special forces and the Navy. En route from Ecuador to St. Petersburg, the vessel is suspected of smuggling. The crew offered no resistance.

🚨 OSINT ALERT: Tanker KAMA (IMO: 0) briefly turned on AIS in the Sicily Channel (37.6262N / 10.6122E) — then went silent. Possible rendezvous with SPARTA IV and Russian Udaloy-class Severomorsk nearby. Pattern suggests low-visibility naval logistics, not normal traffic.

🚨 OSINT: Russian tanker SINEGORSK (IMO 9261061) in W Mediterranean, destination FOR ORDER. Past routes: S America, Baltic, N Europe, Med. Jan 27 anchored <1 km from critical subsea cables (UK), forced to move by British Navy. Suspicious behavior near vital infra.

🚨 #OSINT ALERT: #Russia cargo #SpartaIV is 60nm SE of #Cagliari. Despite #Kaliningrad destination, it’s heading North—totally inconsistent. Escorted by destroyer #Severomorsk & #Kama until Tunisia, their current position is UNCONFIRMED. High-risk maneuver for a vessel known for sensitive cargo.

#Danwatch has covered this as well danwatch.dk/en/former-sp...

Post 1/2 Claims about Russian armed personnel aboard #ShadowFleet tankers are spreading fast. There are some concrete elements (images and short clips), but their origin is unclear and verification is limited. This is not enough to confirm a systematic militarization. #OSINT #SourceReliability

Russia–India naval ties deepen. TASS says Pacific Fleet frigate *Marshal Shaposhnikov* will join Milan 2026 drills in the Bay of Bengal this February, with a Visakhapatnam port call, alongside India’s International Fleet Review. OSINT highlights India’s balancing and Russia’s Indian Ocean outreach.

According to the BBC, at least eight sanctioned tankers linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” are transiting the English Channel, with more inbound from the North Sea. MarineTraffic data confirms this. Despite legal authority to seize them, the UK has not acted, undermining sanctions credibility.

Open-source reporting says Iran, China, and Russia plan joint naval drills off Iran near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media cite coordinated maneuvers in the Sea of Oman and nearby waters, while Russian and Chinese official confirmation is pending.

MYS ZHELANIYA is receiving support from NEFRIT (9297773) but, despite approaching the Russian coast, it did not enter any port. Likely heading to Sevastopol, it remained at sea, possibly due to technical issues, highlighting broader structural strains in Russia’s merchant fleet.

**MYS ZHELANIYA** displays anomalous behavior: low speed (~2 knots) and circular maneuvers inconsistent with commercial traffic. AIS indicated a Sevastopol call, but the vessel is now loitering in the central Black Sea. Declared destination unchanged; movements remain suspicious.

The LR2 tanker Progress (IMO 9306627), EU/UK-sanctioned and linked to the #shadowFleet, is adrift off Algeria after deviating from its route. Declared “Not under command,” carrying ~730,000 bbl of Urals toward Suez. Likely mechanical, but timing suspicious amid French interdictions.

Russian merchant vessel *Kapitan Danilkin* has acted as a de facto naval logistics unit, moving suspected military cargo along Syrian Express–like routes. After calls in Guinea, Turkey, and Algeria, it returned to the Baltic and may redeploy to the Mediterranean.

🚨🚨🚨The vessel MYS ZHELANIYA is located about 8 NM east of Tobruk, despite declaring Port Said as destination. Its course suggests Tobruk. The vessel SPARTA IV is operating offshore and escorting it, indicating Russia’s growing open cooperation with Libya, including military transfers.

Russian-flagged MYS ZHELANIYA (IMO 9366110) is officially bound for Port Said (ETA 19 Jan 00:00), but its AIS track runs unusually close to the Libyan coast. Given past links to Libyan ports, a possible stop at Tobruk cannot be excluded and warrants monitoring.

Russian-flagged SPARTA IV (IMO 9743033) is transiting the Eastern Mediterranean alongside MYS ZHELANIYA, both declaring Port Said as destination. However, their tracks do not fully align with this route, and open sources suggest SPARTA IV may be heading to Tartus, warranting monitoring.

Two Russian-flagged general cargo vessels, SIYANIE SEVERA (IMO 9250385) bound for Sousse at 10.9 knots (ETA 19 Jan 12:00) and MAIA-1 (IMO 9358010) at 12.4 knots, are transiting the West Mediterranean on parallel routes, indicating possible coordination and warranting monitoring.

9–13 Jan: BOYKIY escorted KAMA and GENERAL SKOBELEV west of Malta; SEVEROMORSK later led MYS ZHELANIYA and SPARTA IV eastbound. KAMA’s course change suggests underway replenishment. The group split shows efficient escort management and strong sustainment capability.

The RFN has been putting GPS jammers like this on ships since the UAV attacks on Tartus in 2018. Usually only seen when they do an out of area deployment (such as this) or if they want to annoy a NATO exercise (e.g. one of the BLATOPS iterations in the early 2020s).

New antennas on corvette Stoyky resemble the Pereod-M EW system, previously unseen on this platform. Their use during a high-visibility exercise suggests deliberate signaling. Deployed in the SVO zone and in serial production since March 2024, it highlights limits of legacy EW vs modern UAV threats.

Russian naval deployments during Wk 02-2026 based on #OSINT reporting. russianfleetanalysis.blogspot.com/2026/01/russ... Low regular activity possibly due to Orthodox Christmas. Out of Area activity related to possible weapon transports and long term deployment of RFS Stoiky.