“I do wonder why they think it’s better to admit incompetence than to admit the enemy sank a ship.”
If sunk by an accident, it’s the fault of some incompetent midshipman.
If sunk by enemy, it’s the fault of an admiral and ultimately Putin for sending the ship into a danger it was unprepared for. This threatens the regime.
Putin’s popularity in Russia has gone up 10 points since the end of February. If anything, this likely hardens Russia’s stance among their ppl.