The ‘Photo Gallery’ of the ‘Dutchintell’ weblog is under construction.

Currently, we at ’Dutchintell’, are working very hard to reconstruct and improve the ‘Photo Gallery’ of our weblog. So the ‘Photo Gallery’ is under construction. We, at ‘Dutchintell’, do all this next to our normal and daily jobs and so we can not be fast and furious all the time. So please be patient.

We are currently working on a real ’photo-image-abc’ on Russia, the Russian forces and the Russian Navy in particular. Currently also, we are working on a complete and ‘high-quality-image-gallery’ on the Russian Navy Fleet; a complete ’ABC’ on the entire and current Russian Navy Fleet (Ship-Name-Class-Number).

Finally, when it’s all ready, finished, completed and eventually compiled to a real ‘Photo Gallery’, the new ’Dutchintell Photo Gallery’ will consist of; a real ‘ABC’ of numerous images on Russia in general, numerous images on the Russian military forces in general, numerous satellite images on Russia, numerous images, yes a real ‘abc’, of Russian ships and submarines, etc. etc.

And perhaps, in the near future, there’s much more to come…………!  (FLH).

Quick Other(s) Russian News (Links).

1)      Russia to start Construction of the 4th ‘Borey’-class Submarine in December (As earlier reported by ‘Dutchintell’).

2)      New Fighter Jets for Russia’s Aircraft Carrier ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’.

3)      Russia finally gets and tests its own Satellite or Precision-Guided Bombs.

4)      Missile Shield could go Arctic: BarentsObserver.

5)      Russia to dismantle 191 Submarines by 2010!!

(FLH).

Medvedev: a strong Russian Navy in 10 Years!

During a meeting with about 20 military personnel who took part in the ‘Zapad-2009′ execersises, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia will recreate a powerful navy in the next ten years. As Supreme Commander-in-Chief President Medvedev visited the exercises just yesterday. ‘Zapad-2009′ was held together with forces from Belarus from the 18th of September untill today.

Medvedev also said, “We are facing the most large-scale task, to reestablish the Navy, as a significant number of our ships – both surface and submarines – are serving their last years now.”, “This does not mean they can’t operate, but nevertheless new ships should be put into operation. And we have a stock of submarines and ships.”

Medevedev was stating all this, especially the remark about hav ing ships and submarines in stock, just days after Deputy Minister of Defense Vladimir Popovkin, during an interview, stated that in particular the nuclear powered cruisers are subject to reconstruction programmes, which are now being developped (see our post below).

Medvedev concluded by saying “I am convinced we will be able to reestablish our Navy in the next decade at levels that our state will require. And we need a strong Navy” (read more).

The ‘Zapad-2009′ exercises ended today, more info here. The other large-scale exercise in which quiet some Russian forces, including 16 Navy vessels, took part, ’Ladoga-2009′, also ended today. For more information on the strategic exercise ’Ladoga-2009′ take a look here and watch a video here. For more images on the Russian Navy see the ‘Dutchintell’ Photo Gallery.(FLH).

Old ‘Kirov’ cruisers back in service?

Could it be that the Russian Navy soon will operate another nuclear ’Kirov’-class cruiser, or perhaps two, or three? Is Russia going to rebuilt those old, rusting laid-up ‘Kirovs’?

Will the ’Pyotr Veliky’ (099) – Russia’s one and only nuclear ’Kirov’-class cruiser in service - soon be accompanied by its old ’sisters’; ‘Admiral Ushakov’, ‘Admiral Lasarev’ and ‘Admiral Nakhimov’ (image below)?

NB: For more photo’s and images, also on the ‘Kirov’-class cruisers, see our ‘Photo-Gallery’, which is currently under construction, but still worth visiting.

During an interview with ‘Ekho Moskva’ Russia’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Vladimir Popovkin, said that in particular the nuclear powered cruisers are subject to reconstruction programs, which are now being developed (Read more: ‘BarentsObserver’).

Russia’s Navy now only operates one ‘Kirov’: the ‘Pyotr Veliky’, the Northern Fleet flagship (image left). The other three ‘Kirov’-class cruisers have been laid-up since the Soviet Union fell apart.

The three in-active ‘Kirov’-class cruisers are in a very bad shape after being laid-up for almost 20 years. Restoring or rebuilding these huge warships will not only be expensive but will also take a great effort for the Russian shipyards.

Next to this ‘mothball-plan’, Russia also has a hand full of other ‘mothball-plans’ and also has plans to built new ships and submarines. All and all, the Russians shipyards, in theory, but also in real life, have loads of work to do, and all this while these shipyards are way behind in planning, are way behind in being up to date, are way behind in being effecient, are way behind in being ‘modern’, etc. etc.

So, is this just another hoax, some kind of Russian ‘blabla’ or again Russian Navy rethoric? Well, maybe, we just don’t know, but let’s not forget that this is the Russians talking! One never knows what to expect! (FLH).

Was Israel behind the hijacking of the ‘Arctic Sea’?

Conspiracy theories have been around since the existence of our world and so we were not surprised that conspiracy theories about what happened to the vessel ‘Arctic Sea’ were around before the Russian navy found the vessel near the West African archipelago of Cape Verde. The ‘Arctic Sea’ disappeared in the Baltic Sea off the Swedish coast last July. After three weeks of being hijacked the Russian navy tracked down the ‘Arctic Sea’ and recaptured the vessel some 300 kilometres off the Cape Verde Islands on the 17th of August. When boarding the vessel the Russian navy managed to free the crew of 15 Russians and also arrested 8 hijackers.

Since the vessel ‘Arctic Sea’ went missing in July, there’s been imense speculation on who took over the vessel in a commando-style action off the Swedish coast. The possibility of a secret cargo, possible nuclear smuggling and even ”state interest” have been suggested over the past few weeks. But what about facts?

Some international newspapers and also some internet bloggers suggested that the ‘Arctic Sea’ was not just carrying timber, that the ship was possibly carrying something else from somewhere else and that probably the Mossad was involved;

The official version of events was questioned by Yulia Latynina, a leading Russian opposition journalist and commentator. “The Arctic Sea was carrying something, not timber and not from Finland, that necessitated some major work on the ship”, she wrote in the Moscow Times newspaper on Wednesday. During two weeks of repair works in the Russian port of Kaliningrad just before the voyage, the ship’s bulkhead was dismantled so something very large could be loaded, she wrote. “To put it plainly: The Arctic Sea was carrying some sort of anti-aircraft or nuclear contraption intended for a nice, peaceful country like Syria, and they were caught with it”, she said. (The New York Times).

And also;

The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported over the weekend that the vessel Arctic Sea had been carrying X-55 cruise missiles and S300 anti-aircraft rockets hidden in secret compartments among its cargo of timber and sawdust. (The Jerusalem Post).

But also very strange news about the so-called 8 pirates or 8 hijackers that were arrested by the Russian Navy, on board the ‘Arctic Sea’;

One is a metal worker, another is a builder – and a third is believed to be a fisherman whose family feared he had drowned at sea three years ago. The family of Andrei Lunevhave told how they got the shock of their lives when they turned on Russian TV to see a man with the same name and vaguely similar appearance identified as a prisoner on a Russian military aircraft. (The Telegraph).

From the very beginning that the news of the missing vessel ’Arctic Sea’ was ‘aired’ the role of the Russians (Navy) appeared strange, doubtful, dubious and suspicious. For example; 

“According to Serdyukov, this morning at one o’clock Moscow time, the ship was found some 300 miles of the Cape Verde Islands and that the Russian crew of 15 men were now on board the Russian frigate ‘Ladny’ “. (Dutchintell).

Serdyukov (Russia’s Minister of Defense) stated this in the late morning of that same day, so about ten hours after the Russian Navy boarded the vessel. That moment and the next 24 hours, neither Serdyukov nor another Russian official talked about the capture of hijackers or pirates on board the ‘Arctic Sea’. How strange!

It all reminds me of the way the Russian Navy reacted (did not) in the 10 to 12 hours after the ‘Kursk’ went down and the way they came up with “explanations” days later. Only days later the Russians came up with images and video of both the Russian crew and the hijackers, that were both transported to Moscow;

And now, with the national and international media spreading the news - or rumours - of a ’suspicious cargo’ and possibly the smuggling of nuclear materials or maybe indead weapons for Iran, the Russians now again fall back in Soviet style denial and in a Soviet way of not commenting and not reporting;

The preliminary search of the ship did not reveal the presence of suspicious cargo on board. A more thorough search will be conducted in one of the ports on the way to Russia, the Ministry said. The Arctic Sea is currently being towed to the Russian port of Novorossiisk on the Black Sea. Four crew members remain on board, while the other 11 were flown to Moscow to be questioned by the Russian authorities.(RusNavy).

According to the Russians the ‘Arctic Sea’ was hijacked by pirates or robbers and their Navy captured these 8 guys and also freed the 15 Russian crew members. Then why are the Russians taking this Finnish vessel to a port (base) in the Black Sea? Why have the Russians officially impounded this vessel? The vessel “needed to be impounded in order to conduct an official and detailed inspection of the ship”. A vessel that was ‘only’ hijacked and that did not have suspicious cargo on board now needs to be impounded for a detailed inspection and is therefore towed to a Russian port all the way ‘back’ in the Black Sea?

Conspiracy theories about what happened to the MV ‘Arctic Sea’ have now become more or less official since international newspapers have published them and since several politicians have reacted to them. What is more important is that all these theories name the Russians as the culprit. Let’s be honest; the Russians not only reacted strange and suspicious but apparently also refuse to prove their innocence. We expect there will be more to come! (FLH).

Russian Navy News.

Russia’s third Naval Task Force in the Somalia region has begun escorting its third convoy of Russian and other commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden.

The third Russian anti-piracy Naval Task Force consists of the RFS ‘Admiral Tributs’ (image left), the tanker ‘Boris Butoma’ and the salvage tug ‘SB-99′.

Russian Navy spokespersons tend to talk about Russian warships escorting commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden, for the third time, starting last Thursday. However Russia operates only one warship (a tanker and a tug excluded) off the Somali coast and that is the destroyer ‘Admiral Tributs’.

The Russian frigate ’Neustrashimy’ and the destroyers ‘Admiral Vinogradov’ and ‘Admiral Panteleyev’ also took part in the international anti-piracy operations off the Somali coasts.

Last week Patriarch Kirill of Moscow visited the Russian Arkangelsk Oblast. During his three day stay in the region he also visited the Russian shipyard Sevmash in Severodvinsk and got on board the ‘Dmitry Donskoy’, a Typhoon-class SSBN (image here). The patriarch was met with military honour, walked along the pier, along the lines of Russian Navy officers and was saluted by the submariners.

Russia’s Northern Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Nikolai Maksimov and Semash Chief Designer Nikolai Kalistratov were also there to welcome the partriarch to the submarine and to Russia’s biggest military shipyard. 

During the patriarch his visit Nikolai Kalistratov made public that Russia’s fourth SSBN of the Borey class will be named after ’Saint Nicholas’ and its actual name will be ‘Syvatitel Nikolay’, this after the ‘Yuri Dolgoruky’ (lead ship of this class), the ’Aleksandr Nevsky’ and the ’Vladimir Monomakh’ (read more). The ‘Yuri Dolgoruky’ has just finished its first sea trials and the other two submarines are under construction at the Semash shipyard in Severodvinsk. Construction of the ‘Syvatitel Nikolay’ is expected to start on December 22nd this year. (FLH)

‘Arctic Sea’ found by Russian Navy.

Just hours ago the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that the Russian Minister of Defence Anatoly Serdyukov had informed Russian President Medvedev that the cargo vessel ‘Arctic Sea’ had been found off  the Cape Verde Islands and that its crew had safely been taken on board a Russian Navy ship.

According to Serdyukov this morning at one o’clock Moscow time the ship was found some 300 miles of the Cape Verde Islands and that the Russian crew of 15 men were now on board the Russian frigate ‘Ladny’ (images here, here and here).

The ‘Arctic Sea’ was in Kaliningrad (Russia) for repairs before it took a load of timber (wood) on board in Jakobstad (Pietarsaari) in Finland. Somewhere near the island of Gotland and shortly after the ship left Jakobstad the ship was boarded by a group of men posing to be Swedish drug police. The group left the ship after 12 hours. The ‘Arctic Sea’ then moved on without notifying the Swedish police or authorities. Later the ship crossed the Straight of Dover (the Channel) and did not report anything strange. From then on the ship went missing.

Last week Russian President Medevedev ordered Russian Navy ships to search for the ‘Arctic Sea’ and also ordered the use of satellites to find the ship. A Naval Task Force from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet together with other Russian Black Sea Fleet ships were in the Mediterranean on their way to Kaliningrad for the Russian exercise ‘West 2009′ but the Naval Task Force was diverted and after it crossed the Straight of Gibraltar it entered the Atlantic and set sail, straight for the Cape Verde Islands.

Anatoly Serdyukov, Russia’s Defence Minister, informed President Medvedev and later told the press that the 15 men crew of the ‘Arctic Sea’ now on board the Russian frigate ‘Ladny’ (801) are now being questioned ”to clarify all the circumstances of the disappearance”.

The ‘Arctic Sea’ was on its way to Algeria, then what was it doing near the Carpe Verde Islands? The crew of the ‘Arctic Sea’ just continued its journey after being ‘hijacked’ off the coast of Sweden. Why haven’t they informed local police and authorities?

According to Swedish authorities a randsom demand was made. Was the cargo ship really hijacked then? The ‘Arctic Sea’ reported in at ’Dover’ when crossing the Channel (Straight of Dover) without any suspicion. Why? According to French authorities the ‘Arctic Sea’ its AIS was briefly turned on again while the ship was off the French coast. Why? The Russians immediately went searching for the ‘Arctic Sea’ near the Cape Verde Islands. Why?

Let’s just hope things really will be clarified by the Russians and that we then all can live on without another ‘Mary Celeste‘. We will just have to wait and see. (FLH).

Russian Navy News: the ‘Arctic Sea’.

The weeks before have been full of Russian Navy news. ’Dutchintell’ starts this ‘Russian Navy News’ with the news around the ‘Arctic Sea’, the missing Finnish freighter with a crew of 15 Russians on board.

The ‘Arctic Sea’ was due to arrive in an Algerian port on the 4th of August but went missing on the 28th of July. The ship carries wood. After it went missing the Russian Navy started a search for the ‘Arctic Sea’, which is remarkable. Russian Navy ships, about 5 surface ships and about 2 submarines, were deployed to the area.

Why would Russia deploy 5 surface navy ships and 2 Russian navy nuclear powered submarines to the area in which the ‘Arctic Sea’ could possible be? Why?

The latest news is that the French MOD reports that the ‘Arctic Sea’ is seen near the Isles of Cape Verde (Cape Verdic Islands). That’s where the Russian frigate ‘Ladny’ (image) went to last Thursday.

Why is the Russian Navy actively searching for a freighter with a crew of 15 Russians on board? Why have the Russians send a frigate to the Cape Verde?

Russian Navy ships from the Baltic Sea Fleet were in the Atlantic Ocean to perform an exercise and these ships now have started searching for the ‘Arctic Sea’.

Russian Baltic Sea Fleet ships and two Russian submarines searching for the ‘Arctic Sea’, is that what we read and understand?

Why are the Russians searching for this vessel?

Why are the Russians interested in what happened to this vessel just carrying wood?

Just wood being taking to Algeria, from Sweden. Then why are the Russians interested? FLH.

Dmitry and Vladimir once visited a local pub…….. (Video Post).

Presidents and Prime Ministers are almost human. They normally dress official when we see them but sometimes are seen in casual clothing, just like normal people. They also watch football (soccer) and occasionally visit a bar (pub), just like normal people do.

The Russian President Medvedev together with his ‘friend’ the Russian Prime Minister Putin also visited a bar to watch football (soccer).

They also invited a news crew over at that bar; click on the photo to view the video. FLH.

Remembering the K-141 ‘Kursk’.

The 12th of August is also the date the Russian submarine ‘Kursk’ went down to the bottom of the Barents Sea taking the lives of 118 men. The disaster happened nine years ago during a Russian navy tactical exercise. Since then all over the Russian Federation people remember the ‘Kursk’ since all its crew came from different places across the RF.

Yesterday again people across the RF gathered in churches and around monuments to remember what happened nine years ago on the 12th of August and to remember the 118 sailors that lost their lives in this terrible disaster.

In Murmansk people gathered by the church ’Our Saviour on the Water’ (image) and in front of the memorial for submarine personnel who died during peacetime. The tower of ’Kursk’ is now part of that monument after is was found in a scrap yard in Murmansk (earlier reported).

Immediately after the ‘Kursk’ went down in the Barents Sea the Russian Navy came up with all kinds of explanations but also with accusations. The Russian Navy Navy (top brass) first claimed the ‘Kursk’ was rammed by a US or Britishsubmarine and claimed they had found parts of that foreign submarine. They then came up with several possibilities ranging from a collision with another submarine to a collision with a WW-2 mine. Eventually the explosion of a test-torpedo inside the ‘Kursk’ became the official explanation for what happened in the Barents Sea on the 12th of August 2000.

Later Jean-Michel Carre came up with a documentary in which he claimed that the US torpedoed the K-141 ’Kursk’. His documentary - ” ‘Kursk’ – A Submarine in Troubled Water” - was controversial and was aired in only a few countries. It was forbidden in the US and the BBC also refused to air that conspiracy documentary. But here at ‘Dutchintell’ that documentary is only one click of a mouse-button away;

FLH.