Steeljaw Scribe

An interesting item in this AM’s news clips:
(ASSOCIATED PRESS 20 OCT 08) Russia’s Deputy PM: Russia May Leave Sevastopol
LONDON - Russia will leave the strategic Black Sea port of Sevastopol if its lease is not renewed by the Ukrainian government, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said in an interview due to be broadcast Monday.
Asked [...]

After ten years in overhaul/upgrades (Sevmash   and Rossiiskaya Gazeta   ) - meet the “Dmitriy Donskoy”(”Дмитрий Донской”), a Project 941 class SSBN:

It is probably worth noting this is the same shipyard that is responsible for the ongoing overhaul of the INS Vikramaditya (neè Adm Gorshvov)   carrier for the Indian Navy - which is [...]

Blackjacks, Backfires, Bears; Black Sea Fleet and Northern Fleet  ships - all joining up for a large combined exercise in the Bay of Biscay beginning 23 Jan 08 according to open press reports. 

“The air force is taking a very active part in the exercises of the navy’s strike force in the Atlantic,” the Russian air force [...]

(the new Moskva/ex-Slava CSG)
Shades of days of yore, the Moskva joined up with the Kuznetsov carrier group (or корабельной ударной группы (КУГ) - ship assault echelon (KUG)) for joint exercises conducted on the 20th.  Sailing from her (or, if you perfer, his in the Russian vernacular) base at Sevastopol on the 12th, the flagship of [...]