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Why Ukraine’s Strike On Sevastopol Naval Infrastructure Is A Big Deal
Forbes ^ | September 13, 2023 | Criag Hooper

Posted on 09/13/2023 1:55:04 PM PDT by Timber Rattler

Ukraine’s audacious strike on Sevastopol’s naval infrastructure has apparently severely damaged a landing craft and a submarine. Aside from inflicting significant naval losses, the sidelining of a major naval dry dock facility complicates Russia’s ability to operate on the Black Sea.

In modern warfare, dry docks have always been a high-priority target.

As complex pieces of heavy machinery, necessary for the basic maintenance of any naval force, dry docks—facilities where ships can be floated in and repaired after water is pumped out—are not easy things to fix. America is spending billions to refresh undamaged dry docks. Repairing battle damage will be far more costly.

Russia’s inability to defend these vital pieces of critical military infrastructure is a stunning military failure, suggesting Russia’s air defenses are either inadequate, broken or both.

But the strike also highlights Russia’s desperation. After several strikes across Crimea and Sebastopol, Russia knew the docks were likely targets, but, regardless of the threat, Russia continued to use them to maintain key Black Sea naval units.

Russia simply has nowhere else to go.

Russia’s lack of modern Black Sea waterfront repair infrastructure is a serious problem for Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Without maintenance support, Russia’s entire Black Sea Fleet will, in a matter of months, be rendered operationally ineffective—and effectively sunk.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia; Ukraine
KEYWORDS: blacksea; crimea; cruisemissile; submarine
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Scratch one Kilo submarine and one Ropucha-class landing ship!

Nothing speaks to victory as well as a burning shipyard!


1 posted on 09/13/2023 1:55:04 PM PDT by Timber Rattler
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To: Timber Rattler

Excellent


2 posted on 09/13/2023 1:56:27 PM PDT by lonestar67 (America is exceptional)
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To: Timber Rattler

Don’t start wars and this kind of thing won’t happen.

L


3 posted on 09/13/2023 1:58:02 PM PDT by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is. )
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To: Timber Rattler

Crimea is becoming untenable for Ruzzia. It’s time for them to give up and leave or else face even more destruction inside Ruzzia itself. Lots of attacks in Ruzzia and Belarus last night. Train derailments in Belarus and all sorts of mayhem in Ruzzia.


4 posted on 09/13/2023 2:01:32 PM PDT by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism. )
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To: Timber Rattler

Anything to distract from the complete failures along the battlefront.


5 posted on 09/13/2023 2:03:37 PM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Are you referring to the retreating Russians who got hit with Russian friendly fire?


6 posted on 09/13/2023 2:11:04 PM PDT by freeandfreezing
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Belarus is a good target. They sleep with dogs and wake up with fleas.


7 posted on 09/13/2023 2:12:33 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (e allowed )
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To: Timber Rattler
90% of Moscow's rationalization for the invasion of Ukraine has to do with maintaining a naval power base on the Black Sea. If that can be nullified by a bunch of low-cost drones, Putin's just wrecked his army for nothing. My cup beer mug of schadenfreude runneth over!
8 posted on 09/13/2023 2:14:41 PM PDT by Chad C. Mulligan
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Are you implying Russia blew up their own drydock?


9 posted on 09/13/2023 2:16:05 PM PDT by Farmerbob
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To: Chad C. Mulligan

Or move the fleet to Sochi?


10 posted on 09/13/2023 2:19:47 PM PDT by T. Rustin Noone (Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: MeganC
"Crimea is becoming untenable for Ruzzia."

The Black Sea Fleet port of Sevastopol is central to Russian military doctrine. Russian ports have limited open ocean access due to weather conditions. Its military has no real alternative for its fleet other than Sevastopol. Putin is in an existential dilemma now. If Sevastopol becomes totally unusable for his military ships, what does he do now? To whom can he turn to repair and resupply his ships?

11 posted on 09/13/2023 2:23:19 PM PDT by Enterprise
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To: Timber Rattler

The USA should have a fairly nice pile of ADM-160 MALD’s being replaced by newer versions. Supposedly the Brits expressed interest back in 2009. Pretty safe bet these account for several of the intercepts Russia claimed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADM-160_MALD


12 posted on 09/13/2023 2:25:53 PM PDT by Paul R. (Bin Laden wanted Obama killed so the incompetent VP, Biden, would become President!)
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To: Timber Rattler
V2 rocket damage.


13 posted on 09/13/2023 2:26:25 PM PDT by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
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To: Timber Rattler

Good to know.

Hope they killed and injured a lot of Russians too.


14 posted on 09/13/2023 2:28:28 PM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: EnderWiggin1970
"Anything to distract from the complete failures along the battlefront."

I am doubtful that this is a "red flag" incident. Intelligence agencies from multiple nations already know where the missiles were launched from and who likely launched them. And I doubt it was Russia. The question now is, how will Russia retaliate and against whom? Putin knows that Ukraine does not possess the advanced capability to produce the missiles that hit Sevastopol. So, does he retaliate against the supplier? And what form will that retaliation take?

15 posted on 09/13/2023 2:28:32 PM PDT by Enterprise
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To: Timber Rattler
How is the Ukrainian counteroffensive going?

Three months, 72,000 dead and what has Ukraine gained? A deserted village of 5000?

16 posted on 09/13/2023 2:30:57 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Russia’s campaign in Ukraine has been one big failure. When the leader of the country’s most effective fighting group has to be assassinated, you’re not winning.


17 posted on 09/13/2023 2:31:37 PM PDT by popdonnelly (All the enormous crimes in history have been committed by governments.)
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To: Chad C. Mulligan
Naval power is being shown as obsolete, with increasing credibility, by the day.

The USA is the major naval power in the world.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has showed their ability to project power, outside of nuclear strikes, to be very limited.

18 posted on 09/13/2023 2:31:39 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: Enterprise

“To whom can he turn to repair and resupply his ships?”

And more importantly, “what will they demand in exchange?”


19 posted on 09/13/2023 2:36:52 PM PDT by Boogieman
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To: Boogieman
“what will they demand in exchange?”

Very perceptive question! Assistance to Russia will come at a brutal economic cost to Russia. Will Putin pay?

20 posted on 09/13/2023 2:39:53 PM PDT by Enterprise
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