Publication

This paper looks at how the Russian Navy used heavy smoke to obscure an August 2016 military training exercise in Severomorsk. The text’s author provides specific details on 1) the historical use of smoke obscurants and the type recently used by the Russians; 2) how the obscurants can be defeated by other technologies; and 3) the belief that smoke can be used to protect military assets from radiation or energy beam weapons. Finally, the author speculates on the potential significance of “smoky Severomorsk” occurring about the same time as the deployment of Russian radiation, chemical, and biological defense forces (Voyska RKHBZ) in training exercises around Kursk and in Armenia.