ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

This combat footage was reportedly taken in the area of Bambari in the Central African Republic (CAR) earlier in January. According to reports, it was recorded during a major operation that included 50 hours of heavy clashes between Portuguese paratroopers and local militants. The operation led to the seizure of a rebel base in the area of Bambari.  Portuguese personnel are operating under the UN’s peacekeeping mission in the CAR. The Portuguese operation came in respnose to an allegd attack by members of the Union for Peace in the CAR (UPC) on the town of Bambari, in about 400 km from the capital Bangui. The goal of the attack was to seize resources and extort the local population by collecting taxes. The Portuguese military said that the operation was successful and its forces suffered no casualties.

On January 22, Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate Admiral Essen of the Black Sea Fleet held air defense drills in the Black Sea; On January 21, Steregushchiy-class corvettes Boikiy and Soobrazitelnyy of the Baltic Fleet tracked USS Gravely and USS Porter entering the southern Baltic Sea; On January 19, Krivak-class frigate Pitliviy of the Black Sea Fleet started tracking USS Donald Cook; On January 18, Buyan-class corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo of the Black Sea Fleet conducted a training session on missile firing at a surface target in the Black Sea naval training ground; On January 17, first-of-class patrol ship Vasily Bykov of the Black Sea Fleet started to submit course tasks from the Novorossiysk military naval base. Click to see the full-size image