Two Russian naval units dock in Algiers: technical stopover for submarine ‘Krasnodar’ and tug ‘Churov’

On April 20, 2025, two vessels from the Russian Navy arrived at the port of Algiers. These are the Kilo-class (Project 636.3) submarine B-265 Krasnodar, part of the Black Sea Fleet, and the ocean-going tug Evgeniy Churov (Silva-class, Project 712), operating under the Baltic Fleet.

According to available information, the two units are expected to remain in port for no more than a week, likely for refueling and scheduled maintenance activities.

In recent weeks, the Krasnodar has been roaming the Mediterranean, possibly hoping to use the port of Tartus in Syria as a base. However, those hopes have been disappointed, as Syria has so far denied access to the port for Russian units.

It is unclear whether the submarine is heading back to Russia, but the absence of a fixed support base in the Mediterranean severely limits the operational capabilities of the few Russian units still operating in the area.