Well, losing one ship doesn’t typically end a war.
All the other Russian ships have now pulled backed 80km from the Ukraine shoreline.
True as far as it goes. They only lost 1/3 of that particular class. Oh, and it was their Flag ship.
I wasn’t lost... it was converted into a submarine.
Sorry, make that 80 nautical miles.
“NEW: US defence official says Russian warships have moved away from Ukraine’s southern coast after explosion on the Moskva. They’re now 80 nautical miles or more from the shore.
Possible sign they’re trying to get out of missile range.”
Losing a flagship certainly CHANGES the course of the war.
The Ukranians may be down now, but by no means out. The Russians and Vladimir Putin are getting the tar whacked out of them, and there will very definitely be a complete reordering of their order of battle.
Definitely not the all-wise and all-knowing supermen they have been made out to be.
Putin didn’t expect this sort of response to his invasion of the Ukraine; thought the people there would be welcoming his troops with flowers and wine. He thought two days tops, maybe three to take over the Ukraine.
I believe the Mockba was trying to deny the Ukies airspace over their western Black Sea coast with its A 300 SAMS. The remaining ships are nowhere near as well equipped and would need to approach more closely to the coast, putting them under the threat of more Ukie missiles. This would give Ukie air an almost free hand in the airspace around Odessa. This makes Russian amphib ops much more difficult if not impossible.