Russian Navy research vessel arrives in the Caribbean region
Russian Navy OIS Admiral Vladimirsky entered the Caribbean region for hydrographic survey tasking and may conduct a port visit to Havana next 24-48 hours.
Russian Navy Baltic Fleet Project 852 Akademik Krylov class expeditionary oceanographic research vessel (OIS) “Admiral Vladimirsky” departed the Baltic Sea during the forenoon, 17 March 2025 and having completed a 2-week westbound transit of the North Atlantic Ocean, entered the Caribbean region early on 3 April for an announced hydrographic survey mission.
It is likely Admiral Vladimirskiy will conduct a regional port visit in order to embark stores and specialist scientific personnel ahead of her oceanographic research tasking which is likely to take place throughout the Caribbean Sea during Spring into early Summer 2025.
Ports in Venezuela, Colombia and Cuba are the most likely port destinations during the mission and Admiral Vladimirskiy could arrive in Havana as early as the evening 3 April 2025.
Whilst Admiral Vladimirskiy is officially classified as an oceanographic research vessel she has almost certainly been refitted to conduct intelligence gathering duties and most notably, conducted at least two infrastructure surveillance missions in the North Sea and Baltic Sea in 2022 and 2023.
Update 4 April 2025
Admiral Vladimirskiy did not enter port Havana on 3 April and remained at sea, highly likely enroute its first hydrographic survey location.
James Droxford is a former Navy and Intelligence Agency signals intelligence officer and Defence Intelligence submarine/C4I desk officer. Now a civilian, he is an independent maritime intelligence producer, analyst and reporter focusing on Russian maritime activity.