Military News & Developments, Significant Air Activity, Conflict Crisis Areas (Open Source)
East Midlands, England
Joined January 2012
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RAF:
RC-135 Rivet Joint
ZZ664
RRR7223
(From RAF Waddington-UK)
USAF:
KC-135R Tanker
58-0125
(From RAF Mildenhall-UK)
Heading towards AARA5 for refuelling, prior to a probably RAF ISR mission
28-10-26 08:34
BlueSky retweeted
UPDATE: 🇷🇺 Together with @SONARROW_OSINT, we have identified a FOURTH Russian cargo vessel, LADY R (IMO 9161003), loading new military equipment at the naval base in Baltiysk, Kaliningrad.
One of the largest Russian military convoys yet appears to be about to leave for an unknown destination.
EXCLUSIVE: In a joint investigation by @InsiderGeo × @SONARROW_OSINT , we identified a large-scale Russian military loading operation in Baltiysk. Between October 15 and 16, we observed the Russian cargo vessels ASCALON (IMO 9198226), LADY D (IMO 9349289) and ANASTASIIA (IMO 9349291) loading significant quantities of military equipment at the Kaliningrad naval base, including logistics vehicles, infantry vehicles, MRAPs and troop transports.
A rotation of other cargo vessels also appears to have taken place in the days before and after, although heavy cloud cover over the period makes this difficult to confirm.
One or more large convoys are likely already underway. Their destination(s) remain unknown at this time.
BlueSky retweeted
After several months of absence, we have tracked a new mission by an Italian Air Force CAEW over the Black Sea.
(thanks to @lnteISky for clarifying the aircraft’s registration. Today, due to the unusual use of a different ICAO hex code — 33FDCA instead of the usual 33FDC2 — the registration is not reported by the main flight-tracking websites)
itamilradar.com/2026/10/26/i…
BlueSky retweeted
🧵On Sunday afternoon, British Storm Shadow cruise missiles smashed through the roof of Russia's Energia plant during the day shift.
Energia manufactures the thermal batteries powering Iskander ballistic missiles, Pantsir systems, and UMPK glide bombs. 1/🧵
BlueSky retweeted
After some lurking by Edinburgh Russian navy support ship VALENTIN RYKOV has stopped just east of Danish strait's chokepoint Fehmarn Belt.
11h earlier she was in company with frigate Neustrashimy and there is a realistic possibility she still is.
Shadowed/inspected by NATO.
BlueSky retweeted
🚨🚨🚨 End of Russia's continuous naval presence in the English Channel?
After more than three months operating in and around the English Channel, Russian frigate 🇷🇺 NEUSTRASHIMY has reportedly returned to the Baltic Sea alongside Russian Navy replenishment tanker 🇷🇺 VALENTIN RYKOV.
Both vessels reportedly transited the Great Belt southbound yesterday.
However, VALENTIN RYKOV has remained at anchor near the Fehmarn Belt since yesterday and is still stationary today, according to the latest AIS data.
⚠️ Their departure could mark the first interruption in Russia's sustained naval presence around the English Channel since April, initially maintained by ADMIRAL GRIGOROVICH.
Whether another Russian warship will replace NEUSTRASHIMY remains unclear. 👀
ALT Russian Navy Project 11540 Neutrashimy-class frigate RFS Neutrashimy (772) southbound under the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark - October 26, 2026 SRC: FB-Under Broen / Kurt Pedersen 📸
ALT FB Under Broen
BlueSky retweeted
🚨🚨🚨 MYRA: a false alarm, but a very real flag problem
On 24 October, the sanctioned tanker MYRA (IMO 9336490) issued a distress alert west of 🇮🇪 Ireland amid severe weather, prompting a response involving the Irish Coast Guard and an RAF P-8 Poseidon. No assistance was ultimately required.
But the real concern lies elsewhere. According to the IMO's GISIS database, MYRA has had three successive flags recorded as false: 🚩 Guinea, Madagascar and now Cameroon.
🇨🇲❌ Its latest flag entry is explicitly marked "Cameroon False", raising serious questions about the vessel's nationality and flag-state oversight.
A telling example of the legal and regulatory vulnerabilities within 🇷🇺 Russia's shadow fleet.
BlueSky retweeted
EXERCISE GLOBAL THUNDER 27 - US STRATCOM OPS
A pair of B-52H "Stratofortress" bombers departed Minot AFB (KMIB) last night as "HUSH11" and "HUSH12" for a STRATCOM exercise flight to northern Europe. Due to some sort of mechanical fault, only "HUSH11" continued with the sortie.
It refuelled initially in AR-62E with a flight of 3x KC-46s as "FLAM67" flight flying from Pease (KPSM), before proceeding eastwards and meeting with "LAGER10" flight from RAF Mildenhall (EGUN) earlier this morning.
B-52H "HUSH11" TBC (MT)
KC-46A "FLAM67" 17-46032 #AE5E0D
KC-46A "FLAM68" 18-46039 #AE5F92
KC-46A "FLAM69" 23-46120 #AF9E2A
KC-135R "LAGER10" 63-8878 #AE05B1
KC-135R "LAGER11" 62-3510 #AE068B
h/t @Andyyyyrrrr @LatAmMilMVMTs @AUX_OSINT @TheIntelFrog @ArmchairAdml
@MATA_osint
Russian Baltic Fleet:
Replenishment Oiler and Tanker
Valentin Rykov
MMSI: 273251120
26-10-26 08:30 utc
BlueSky retweeted
🚨🇷🇺 Russia's shadow fleet is taking AIS deception to a new level.
At least 12 sanctioned tankers have reportedly used new AIS spoofing techniques in the Black Sea, with six transmitting two conflicting positions simultaneously. 📡🛰️‼️
The suspected objective: concealing actual movements from 🇺🇦 Ukrainian surveillance and drone attacks.
Rather than simply going dark, these vessels can maintain false positions while navigating elsewhere, raising serious concerns about maritime tracking and safety. ⚠️
BlueSky retweeted
🚨🚨🚨 BALTIC LEADER (IMO 9220639) is heading south once again.
After spending two days in Kaliningrad, the sanctioned 🇷🇺 Ro-Ro cargo ship has exited the Baltic Sea and is now sailing along the European coast, with no destination declared.
On October 22, a 🇩🇪 German Navy P-8A Poseidon (callsign GNY4569) reportedly conducted multiple orbits near the vessel off the Danish coast.
BALTIC LEADER has a history of transporting Russian military equipment to Africa, with previous calls at 🇩🇿 Oran, Algiers and 🇨🇬 Pointe-Noire.
Is another voyage to the Mediterranean and Africa underway? 👀
ALT @GR8NOLV
BlueSky retweeted
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence @DI_Ukraine has released footage of strikes carried out by its Prymary unit over the past month against Russian military targets.
The targets hit included:
• 9K515 Tornado-S MLRS
• Buk-M3 air defense system
• Orion UAV
• Nebo-U radar
• Kasta-2E radar
• Two P-18 radars
• UAV assembly and repair facility
• Building housing personnel of the 4th Air Assault Battalion, 108th Air Assault Regiment
BlueSky retweeted
BREAKING | 🇷🇺🇺🇦🇫🇮‼️‼️ A Russian military satellite, Kosmos-2612, reportedly approached within just 26 meters of the Finnish-American ICEYE-X36 satellite, which provides intelligence data to Ukraine, raising concerns over a potential attempt to disrupt Kyiv’s space-based reconnaissance capabilities.
Space technology analyst Giorgi Trishkin suggested that the satellites’ near-zero relative velocity could indicate a deliberate Russian maneuver designed to force ICEYE-X36 to adjust its orbit. Such evasive maneuvers could consume valuable onboard fuel, shorten the satellite’s operational lifespan, and potentially interrupt the delivery of critical intelligence to Ukrainian forces. RAND researcher Michael Bohnert described the Russian satellite’s close approach as a demonstration of force. However, Moscow’s intentions have not been independently established.
The incident highlights an increasingly important dimension of Russia’s confrontation with Ukraine and its Western partners. Satellite-based intelligence plays a critical role in monitoring Russian military movements, identifying targets, and supporting battlefield operations. Deliberate close approaches could threaten these capabilities without directly attacking a satellite, creating additional operational costs and raising the risk of dangerous incidents in orbit.
See the latest updates with us: @visionergeo