At-sea refueling for Russian ships

The Russian flotilla (or at least three of its ships) has slowed its course and is now west of Oran, in international waters, seemingly conducting maneuvers that suggest a refueling operation.

For nearly two months, the tanker Yelnya has been in the area, remaining in the waters west of Oran without significant movement. Half an hour ago, it transmitted a final Morse signal, communicating its position and the weather conditions. The Yelnya‘s reported position is in close proximity to that of the flotilla’s ships.

It is therefore possible that this is indeed a refueling stop—not so much for the commercial vessels, which have been able to enter the port of Tartus, but for the military ships, which have been at sea for about two months.

Russian Navy Morse code weather from Altay Class tanker Yelnya, 16680 Kilohertz CW, 1204 UTC

RIW DE UCTA5 07121 99357 70019 41698 22605 10220 40220 54000 70200 82/// 22200 00160 07012 BT AR UCTA5 K

35.7N 01.9W Hove to https://t.co/ZFF8gSJ0WJ

— TJ (@te3ej) February 7, 2025

When it was still in the Eastern Mediterranean (when we obtained photos and thus had direct confirmation), the Russian flotilla consisted of:

• Admiral Grigorovich – frigate
• Admiral Golovko – frigate
• Ivan Gren – landing ship
• Alexander Otrakovsky – landing ship
• Sparta – RoRo cargo
• Sparta II – RoRo cargo
• General Skobelev – tanker
• Vyazma – tanker

At this point, we will see whether the Yelnya remains in the area or if it, too, is preparing to leave the Mediterranean. If the flotilla resumes its journey this afternoon, it is likely that by the end of tomorrow, it will have left the Mediterranean.