Russian Warship Movements Through Turkish Straits (Part 19)

27 Jul 2013 1 Comment

Russian Ropucha class landing ship 151 Azov, passing through the Bosphorus on her way back to Sevastopol.

Russian Alligator class landing ship 152 Nikolay Filchenkov, passing through the Bosphorus on her way back to Sevastopol.

Russian Ropucha class landing ship 151 Azov, passing through the Bosphorus on her way back to Sevastopol.

Russian Alligator class landing ship 152 Nikolay Filchenkovpassing through the Bosphorus on her way back to Sevastopol.

As usual, Turkish Coast Guard escorted the foreign warships.

As you can see from the photos I have taken on 26 July 2013 Friday, two more Russian warships have passed through the Turkish Straits.

According to BBC, Russian Black Sea Fleet ships have to leave their base in Sevastopol, Ukraine and sail to international waters in order to a refill.

Russia has stopped fuelling the famous Black Sea Fleet at its naval base in a bid to avoid taxes, it’s reported.

A fleet has been based at Sevastopol, in today’s Ukraine, since the late 18th Century and the site will remain in Russia’s hands until 2042. But it seems the Russian Foreign Ministry is unhappy at the level of VAT and customs duty charged by its host “without legal justification”. An unnamed diplomat told the Interfax news agency: “The fuelling of Russian Black Sea Fleet ships on Ukrainian territorial waters stopped last autumn in order to save money.”

Apparently, leaving Ukrainian waters to top up the tank has saved Russia 180m roubles (£3.6m). The fleet had already moved its repair operations to Bulgaria, Interfax notes. The port’s status remains contentious. Though founded by Russia, Sevastopol was transferred to the Ukrainian soviet republic in the 1950s. And when Ukraine broke away – in 1991 – the port went with it, leaving sailors to decide which country’s navy to serve. The decision to extend Russia’s lease – in exchange for cheap gas – sparked punch-ups in Kiev’s parliament three years ago.

So this is the latest tally of Russian warship movements

Date	Number	Name	Direction
27/12/12	151	Azov	Southbound
27/12/12	152	Nikolay Filchenkov	Southbound
01/01/13	142	Novocharkassk	Southbound
09/01/13	152	Nikolay Filchenkov	Northbound
09/01/13	151	Azov	Northbound
12/01/13	142	Novocharkassk	Northbound
14/01/13	102	Kaliningrad	Northbound
14/01/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Northbound
16/01/13	151	Azov	Southbound
04/02/13	151	Azov	Northbound
04/02/13	150	Saratov	Northbound
04/02/13	810	Smetlivy	Northbound
04/02/13		Ivan Bubnov	Northbound
05/02/13	110	Moskva	Northbound
07/02/13	102	Kaliningrad	Northbound
07/02/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Northbound
08/02/13		Kildin	Northbound
20/02/13	102	Kaliningrad	Southbound
20/02/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Southbound
25/03/13	102	Kaliningrad	Northbound
25/03/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Northbound
11/04/13	102	Kaliningrad	Southbound
11/04/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Southbound
14/04/13	151	Azov	Southbound
26/04/13	PM-138	PM-138	Southbound
24/04/13	102	Kaliningrad	Northbound
24/04/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Northbound
24/04/13		Dubna	Northbound
30/04/13	102	Kaliningrad	Southbound
05/05/13	PM-56	PM-56	Northbound
05/05/13	152	Nikolay Filchenkov	Northbound
11/05/13	102	Kaliningrad	Northbound
11/05/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Northbound
11/05/13	151	Azov	Northbound
19/05/13	151	Azov	Southbound
/05/13	151	Nikolay Filchenkov	Southbound
23/05/13	077	Peresvet	Northbound
23/05/13	055	Admiral Nevelskoi	Northbound
27/05/13	151	Azov	Northbound
27/05/13	151	Nikolay Filchenkov	Northbound
10/06/13	CCB-201	Priazove	Southbound
17/06/13	152	Nikolay Filchenkov	Southbound
20/06/13	102	Kaliningrad	Southbound
20/06/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Southbound
01/07/13	102	Kaliningrad	Northbound
01/07/13	110	Alexander Shabalin	Northbound
03/07/13	MB-304	MB-304	Southbound
03/07/13		Ivan Bubnov	Southbound
03/07/13	120	Moskva	Southbound
13/07/13	102	Kaliningrad	Southbound
25/07/13	200	Perekop	Northbound
26/07/13	152	Nikolay Filchenkov	Northbound
26/07/13	151	Azov	Northbound