Exercise Vostok-2014 - Closures, Bans, Restrictions

Restricted areas for Vostok-2014 exercise - September 20-28, 2014 (Map courtesy of Google Maps)

An area closure, flight bans, and flight route restrictions have gone into effect in the Kamchatka Peninsula area in preparation for Russia's Vostok-2014 strategic command-staff exercise, which kicked off on September 19 and will run through September 25. The Pacific Fleet's Slava-class missile cruiser "Varyag" is on one-hour standby to get underway to launch missiles and fire its guns upon receipt of orders.

Area closure (red)
KAMCHATKA-SOUTHEAST COAST.
GUNNERY. MISSILES.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 2000Z TO 1100Z COMMENCING
DAILY 20 THRU 27 SEP IN AREA BOUND BY
52-16-24N 158-51-30E, 53-05-48N 160-01-48E,
51-28-54N 163-34-00E, 51-08-18N 163-18-30E,
51-16-12N 162-11-00E, 50-06-18N 161-38-54E,
50-34-48N 160-14-30E, 51-23-54N 159-44-24E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 281200Z SEP 14.

Flight bans (yellow)
P6495/14 - AIRSPACE CLSD WI SECTOR FROM AZM 117 DEG TO AZM 168 DEG AT DIST FROM 32KM TO 50KM FROM PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY/YELIZOVO ARP. SFC - FL330, DAILY 0100-0300, 22 SEP 01:00 2014 UNTIL 25 SEP 03:00 2014.

P6625/14 - AIRSPACE CLSD WI SECTOR FROM AZM 117 DEG TO AZM 168 DEG AT DIST FROM 32KM TO 50KM FROM PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY/YELIZOVO ARP. SFC - 10000M AGL, DAILY 0100-0300, 26 SEP 01:00 2014 UNTIL 28 SEP 03:00 2014.

P6496/14 - TEMPO DANGER AREA FOR ACFT FLT ACT WI COORD:
5259N 16019E-5148N 16253E-5039N 16011E-5124N 15944E-5206N 15845E-5210N 15848E-5256N 16015E-5259N 16019E. SFC - 25000M AGL, DAILY 2000-0100 0300-0800, 21 SEP 20:00 2014 UNTIL 25 SEP 08:00 2014.

P6626/14 - TEMPO DANGER AREA ACT WI COORD:
5259N 16019E-5148N 16253E-5039N 16011E-5124N 15944E-5206N 15845E-5210N 15848E-5256N 16015E-5259N 16019E. SFC - 25000M AGL, DAILY 2000-0100 0300-0800, 25 SEP 20:00 2014 UNTIL 28 SEP 08:00 2014.

Flight route closures (green)
P6494/14 - FLW ATS RTE SEGMENTS CLSD:
B932 RAPAK - RIMLI,
G73  PETIN - TUSOM,
G801 KUNAD - RIMLI,
G815 KUNAD - DIROS,
G816 LUMES - RIMLI. SFC - 25000M AGL, DAILY 2000-0100 0300-0800, 21 SEP 20:00 2014 UNTIL 25 SEP 08:00 2014.

P6623/14 - FLW ATS RTE SEGMENTS CLSD:
B932 RAPAK - RIMLI,
G73  PETIN - TUSOM,
G801 KUNAD - RIMLI,
G815 KUNAD - DIROS,
G816 LUMES - RIMLI. SFC - 25000M AGL, DAILY 2000-0100 0300-0800, 25 SEP 20:00 2014 UNTIL 28 SEP 08:00 2014.

P6501/14 - ATS RTE SEGMENTS CLSD:
A812 BAKEN - PETIN,
B703 PETIN - LETSA,
G101 SOBOLEVO NDB (SW) - PETIN,
G583 MALKA NDB (MK) - UST-BOLSHERETSK NDB (UB),
G73  UST-BOLSHERETSK NDB (UB) - PETIN. SFC - FL140, 21 1900-2000, 22 0800-0900 1900-2000, 23 0800-0900 1900-2000, 24 0800-0900 1900-2000, 25 0800-0900, 21 SEP 19:00 2014 UNTIL 25 SEP 09:00 2014.

P6621/14 - ATS RTE SEGMENTS CLSD:
A812 BAKEN - PETIN,
B703 PETIN - LETSA,
G101 SOBOLEVO NDB (SW) - PETIN,
G583 MALKA NDB (MK) - UST-BOLSHERETSK NDB (UB),
G73 UST-BOLSHERETSK NDB (UB) - PETIN. SFC - FL140, 25 1900-2000, 26 0800-0900 1900-2000, 27 0800-0900 1900-2000, 28 0800-0900, 25 SEP 19:00 2014 UNTIL 28 SEP 09:00 2014.

P6502/14 - ATS RTE B932 SEGMENT RAPAK - RIMLI CLSD. SFC - FL330, DAILY 0100-0300, 22 SEP
01:00 2014 UNTIL 25 SEP 03:00 2014.

P6622/14 - ATS RTE B932 SEGMENT RAPAK - RIMLI CLSD. SFC - 10000M AGL, DAILY 0100-0300, 25
SEP 01:00 2014 UNTIL 27 SEP 03:00 2014.

Update: Impending Missile Launch from Kotelnyy Island?

Gunnery/missile area closures near Kotelnyy Island - September 15-25, 2014 (Map courtesy of Google Earth)

Russia has reissued and extended an area closure near Kotelnyy Island:

ARCTIC.
LAPTEV SEA.
MISSILES. GUNNERY.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 2200Z TO 1800Z
COMMENCING DAILY 21 THRU 25 SEP IN AREA BOUND BY
75-53.4N 132-39.0E, 76-28.2N 133-08.0E,
76-50.8N 135-00.0E, 76-58.5N 136-26.1E,
75-57.7N 137-33.5E, 75-35.5N 137-00.0E,
75-37.5N 136-13.5E, 75-50.7N 135-41.0E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 261900Z SEP 14.

The new area closure (depicted in yellow above) is slightly different in shape when compared to the earlier closure (depicted in red) that remains in effect until tomorrow.

Moreover, the new area closure's effective dates (September 21-25) coincide nicely with the Vostok-2014 strategic command-staff exercise that kicked off on September 19 and runs through September 25. Whether or not this is related to the exercise, a missile launch from this Arctic island certainly will be linked by the media to the new "North" Joint Strategic Command. According to an ITAR-TASS unnamed "Ministry of Defense source," the new command will stand-up on/before December 1, 2014.

Russia Keeping Tabs on Alaska

Location of Balzam-class intelligence collection ship "SSV-80" [Map courtesy of Google Maps]

The Russian Navy Pacific Fleet's Balzam-class intelligence collection ship "SSV-80" (aka "Pribaltika") was spotted in late August in the Chukchi Sea, about 57nm northwest of Icy Point and about 147nm west of Point Barrow, Alaska. I wonder if this is part of the upcoming (already ongoing?) exercise Vostok-2014 that I mentioned a few days ago. Or, perhaps, the Northern Fleet task group that is preparing to depart Severomorsk will travel farther east than the New Siberian Islands as has been reported by the RF Ministry of Defense.

Russia's Secret Naval Exercise

Depictions of area closures [Courtesy: Google Earth; Data: GEBCO, NGA, NOAA, SIO, U.S. Navy]

Russian Navy public affairs officers must be on extended summer vacations, because they haven't been churning out press releases on a major exercise off the Kamchatka Peninsula (Russian Far East) set to commence as early as this Thursday. I mean, with all these recent reports of ghost submarines appearing off Russian coastlines, someone's got to be in the office -- those intelligence leaks didn't just happen by themselves. [More on the ghost submarines in a later blog entry.]

Two area closures have been announced for August 28 through September 5:

• HYDROPAC 2470/14 (larger area closure)
  
  KAMCHATKA-SOUTHEAST COAST.
  MISSILES.
  1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 2000Z TO 0800Z COMMENCING
  DAILY 28, 29 AUG, 04 AND 05 SEP
  IN AREA BOUND BY
  50-06-18N 161-38-54E, 50-34-48N 160-14-30E,
  51-23-54N 159-44-24E, 52-16-24N 158-31-30E,
  53-05-48N 160-01-48E, 51-28-54N 163-34-00E,
  51-08-18N 163-18-30E, 50-16-12N 162-11-00E.
  2. CANCEL THIS MSG 060900Z SEP 14.//
  
  Authority: NAVAREA XIII 77/14 230915Z AUG 14.
  Cancel: 06090000 Sep 14

• HYDROPAC 2482/14 (smaller area closure)
  
  WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC.
  KAMCHATKA-SOUTHEAST COAST.
  GUNNERY.
  1. GUNNERY EXERCISES 1900Z TO 0800Z COMMENCING
  DAILY 30 AUG THRU 03 SEP IN AREA BETWEEN
  52-30N 52-41N AND 159-44E 160-07E.
  2. CANCEL THIS MSG 040900Z SEP 14.//
  
  Authority: NAVAREA XIII 79/14 250916Z AUG 14.
  Cancel: 04090000 Sep 14

So, what's happening here? According to internet chatter, the following surface combatants recently transited (or soon might) from the Pacific Fleet's main naval base in Vladivostok to ports on the Kamchatka Peninsula (arriving on August 25):

• Slava-class cruiser "Varyag"
• Sovremennyy-class destroyer "Bystryy" (may have engine problems)
• Udaloy I-class destroyers "Admiral Panteleyev", "Admiral Vinogradov", and "Marshal Shaposhnikov" (the latter will join up in September)
• Grisha III-class light frigate "Kholmsk"
• Grisha V-class light frigate "Sovetskaya Gavan"

The large area closure is well suited for the SS-N-12/Sandbox and SS-N-22/Sunburn anti-ship cruise missiles fired by the Slava and Sovremennyy, respectively.

Is this the start of this year's premier military exercise - Vostok-2014? Previous mentions of Vostok-2014 only indicated that the exercise would occur in September, and most recently, in mid-September. And one netizen wrote, "[Vostok-2014] will last the entire month of September." Military public affairs officers oddly have not provided more definitive dates. If this week's events aren't part of Vostok-2014, then they certainly are meant to prepare ships' crews for it.

Also, according to internet chatter, many of these combatant ships will be away from Vladivostok for up to one month, leaving them plenty of time to conduct additional combat drills. This tidbit of information could confirm the "visible" (to the media) part of Vostok-2014 exercise will occur mid- or late September. We'll need to track President Putin's and Minister of Defense Shoygu's travel schedules over the next few weeks.

As for non-naval participation in Vostok-2014, internet chatter indicates elements of the 38th Separate Motorized-Rifle Brigade have deployed (or soon will) to the Kamchatka Peninsula. About a dozen or so Su-27SM and Su-35 fighters (from Dzemgi and/or Uglovaya) have been deployed there since at least mid-August.

Furthermore, according to internet chatter and somewhat confirmed by this company-press-release-turned-news-article, "Varyag" will continue on an extended deployment to the Indian Ocean following the Vostok-2014 exercise. The deployment has been described by one source as lasting up to six months -- unsure if that six-month counter started when "Varyag" left Vladivostok, or if it will start after Vostok-2014 is over. In either case, a sailor on board the cruiser reported recently that he is going on a deployment that will last until February 2015 during which "Varyag" will make port calls in Indonesia, Singapore, (South?) Korea, and two other unnamed ports.