>making aeroplanes drop out of the sky is a rush
Take-off and Departure stalls are a pants-shitting rush, if you live to tell about it
some Russia Russia Russia
Report: Russia Develops Untraceable Method to Disable Subsea Cables
Published Sep 10, 2026 4:06 PM by The Maritime Executive
A joint NATO military operation has uncovered evidence of a new sabotage method developed by Russia's top-secret subsea warfare institute for sabotaging fiber-optic cables on the seabed - a method that reportedly leaves no trace. A defining characteristic of Russian "hybrid warfare" is difficulty of attribution, creating threat and menace while preserving ambiguity, and a means of disabling cable communications without leaving any sign would be a significant leap ahead - far less attributable than physical cable-cutting or anchor-dragging.
Two Western officials told Reuters that NATO forces had tracked Russian subs to a region off the coast of Svalbard. The vessels were associated with GUGI, the Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, a spy-submarine outfit that reports directly to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to the officials, the Russian operation was a trial run to "simulate" the use of a "destructive" technology. A NATO task force intercepted this exercise and prevented its completion.
The report adds detail to a previous announcement from the British government dating back several months. In April, the UK claimed that it had disrupted Russian plans to conduct "nefarious" activity over critical subsea fiber optic cables. Like the event referenced by Western officials more recently, the plot described by Britain was attributed to GUGI assets supported by regular Russian Navy forces.
The month-long operation started when British forces detected an Akula-class Russian attack sub in Arctic waters last month. Working with Norwegian partners, the UK military tracked the sub; further detections established that the Akula's mission was to distract from the movements of other Russian undersea assets belonging to GUGI. The Type 23 frigate HMS St. Albans and oiler RFA Tidespring deployed to monitor the activity. Once it was clear that the advantage of secrecy was lost, the Russian subs headed for home, according to the UK.
GUGI's activities are shrouded in secrecy; some of its submersible assets have never been seen by the public, only referenced in literature or photographed from a long distance. Its capabilities center on a small fleet of submarine-carried, deep-diving mini-subs that are purpose-built for subsea espionage and sabotage.
The best-known of these vessels is the Losharik, a nuclear-powered sub built of spherical titanium pressure hulls with capability to reach 6,000-8,000 feet of depth. The vessel suffered a fire in 2019, prompting a rare public acknowledgement of its operations and a memorial for the fourteen crewmembers killed.
https://maritime-executive.com/article/report-russia-develops-untraceable-method-to-disable-subsea-cables
>>25030531 (me)
some more Russia Russia Russia
Russia Has Two Military Sealift Flotillas in the Mediterranean
Published Sep 11, 2026 6:37 PM by The Maritime Executive
Three separate groups of Russian vessels carrying military cargoes are currently active in the Mediterranean.
Escorted by the Udaloy Class anti-submarine warfare destroyer RFS Admiral Levchenko (D605), the oil products tanker General Skobelev (IMO 9503304), the Ro-Ro cargo vessel Sparta (IMO 9268710) and the oiler Akademik Pashin (IMO 9778193) passed east through the Strait of Gibraltar late on August 27. They were followed through the English Channel by an abnormally large Royal Navy escort, consisting of the Daring-class destroyer HMS Duncan (D37), the frigate HMS St Albans (F83), OPV HMS Severn (P282 ), and with a Merlin helicopter in support.
As the Russian ships moved through the Channel, the permanent Russian piquet stationed in the Channel, the frigate RFS Neustrashimy (F722) kept company with the convoy as it transited. The Russian ships are believed to have arrived in Tartus on September 7, with the Sparta seen unloading on Pier 4, in the same position dockside which it used in January 2025.
In imagery taken on September 11, it appears that a warship is in the usual Station 720 position used by Russian frigates at Tartus, moored between the quayside and double-banked with the tanker General Skobelev tied up - possibly positioned protectively on its seaward side, but also potentially for a refueling operation.
The sanctioned Russia-flagged ro-ro cargo vessel Lady Mariia (IMO 9220641), which was attacked by multiple aerial drones in the central Mediterranean on September 7, seems to have survived its ordeal. Sailing independently, the Lady Mariia has made it to Port Said, and has been in the anchorage at the northern end of the Suez Canal since late on September 8, where ships normally wait as Canal convoys form up.
If the Lady Mariia sails through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, there will be indication as to the current status of Russia’s relationship with the Houthis, now that the Houthis have occupied the southeastern coastline of Yemen and the islands which dominate navigation in the southern end of the Red Sea. The Russians have not previously sought to test a US naval blockade, so the ship is unlikely to be heading for Iran.
Another Russian convoy also appears to be making for Tartus. The lead ship for this convoy appears to be the Ropucha-class landing ship Aleksandr Shabalin (L110), escorting the cargo vessels Anastasiia (IMO 9349291) and Yuriy Arshenevskiy (IMO 8406705), also both sanctioned and with well-established histories of moving military cargoes. As well as carrying cargo on its vehicle deck, the Aleksandr Shabalin is well able to act as an escort, being equipped with a 76mm main gun and two 57mm AK-725 anti-aircraft weapons.
The convoy was under surveillance by the Italian Air Force ATR P-72A when spotted between Sicily and Tunisia on September 10, having passed along the Algerian coast the day before. If this convoy is continuing eastwards, it should now be cruising through the sea area between Crete and Libya where drone attacks have occurred before. As a precaution, all three ships are travelling with their AIS systems switched off.
https://maritime-executive.com/article/russian-has-two-military-sealift-flotillas-in-the-mediterranean
>>25030535 (me again)
Notice the previous Russia Russia Russia mentions HMS St. Albans in both articles
Here's info on the ship, notice the age
Type, class: Guided Missile Frigate; Type 23 / Duke class; Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) variant
Builder: BAE Systems Marine, Scotstoun, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
STATUS:
Laid down: April 18, 1999
Launched: May 6, 2000
Commissioned: June 6, 2002
IN SERVICE
Homeport: HMNB Devonport
Namesake: Duke of St. Albans
https://www.seaforces.org/marint/Royal-Navy/Frigate/F-83-HMS-St-Albans.htm
No one voted for Valerie Jarret either