Posted on 05/14/2015 5:07:37 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Odessa, Ukraine--Military expert Sergiy Zgurets says that with the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine lost two-thirds of its navy.
All the most important ships by class and capability are now stuck in the occupied territory and that represents a big problem for Ukraine, he says.
"We need a huge amount of effort and expenditure to create a new fleet from scratch," Zgurets says. "There is nothing left of it".
The flagship Getman Sagaidachniy moored now in Odessa, was only saved from the occupation by pure chance.
When Russian special forces soldiers without insignia started seizing strategic locations around Crimea, the frigate was on its way back home from a training mission in the Gulf of Aden.
Nearby, the missile boat Pryluky is one of the few ships that managed to return to continental Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea.
But it is in such a sorry state that the crew jokes it was much cheaper for Russia just to give the boat back rather than dispose of it.
(Excerpt) Read more at thepeninsulaqatar.com ...
I can’t imagine there was much left worthwhile anyway; after the USSR broke up Ukraine was selling a lot of military hardware to raise cash, and their economy was so bad I’d imagine there wasn’t much modernizing (or even maintenance) going on...
When Russian special forces soldiers without insignia started seizing strategic locations around Crimea,
That would be a war crime. Author does not mention the naval blockade by Russia. Another war crime. The Ukrainian Navy was stolen by kleptocratic Russia not “lost”.
Adolf Putin could upgrade his own navy with this junk.
Why would Ukraine need a Navy? Anything more than a couple of power boats is overkill
What is the war crime?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.