Posted on 10/05/2023 6:30:02 PM PDT by marcusmaximus
It was a moment of humiliation for Moscow. The headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet – a building of elegant white columns overlooking the Crimean port of Sevastopol – was ablaze. Smoke billowed into a blue sky. First one, and then a second Storm Shadow missile slammed into its roof. Video captured the impact: a precise, deadly, thunderous strike.
The attack on 22 September killed 34 officers, including Viktor Sokolov, the fleet’s commander, according to Ukraine. Russia denied this, releasing footage of Sokolov, suggesting he was still alive. Whatever the truth of the admiral’s fate, the blow deep into enemy territory was of major significance. It was further proof that Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, 19 months on, had not gone to plan.
On land, Kyiv’s counteroffensive has made slow progress. Ukrainian troops have run into formidable Russian obstacles. But on water, it is a success story. Largely unnoticed, Ukraine has reclaimed the Black Sea at least in part, by turning it into a no-go zone for Russia’s bristling warships – no mean feat given that Ukraine has no navy to speak of, and a handful of old jets.
In Sevastopol, a naval exodus has occurred. Two frigates and three attack submarines have left port and moved east to the safer Russian harbour of Novorossiysk, according to satellite data. Five large landing ships, a patrol boat, and small missile vessels have joined them there. A cluster of other boats have sailed from Sevastopol to Feodosia, a port on Crimea’s eastern side.
Driven from Sevastopol, Russia has reportedly signed a deal for a new naval base. It will be located in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, further along the Black Sea coast. On Thursday the region’s leader, Aslan Bzhania, said the permanent facility would be built in the “near future”.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
When are you leaving to fight ?
Canaschmuck Communist says whut ?
All the while you and your hordes post literal Communist propaganda. Go away, Justine Turd Dough fanboi.
Not his Speaker. His Speaker is the one who let a Nazi get feted on the floor of Parliament in Ottawa. But yet he thinks he should have a say in American politics.
Reminds me of WW2 battleships. Claimed to be unsinkable from air attack.
After the Price of Wales and Repulse, they stayed in port because they were too expensive to risk.
They sank the Moskva, which would be expensive to replace (which I doubt they will) but it had no strategic effect on the battle field.
Not saying otherwise, but the Black Sea is like our Great Lakes. Yeah, it needs to be defended, but it’s not a major issue.
Just saying that while it’s not an insignificant loss, in the grand scheme of things it’s not a huge setback or disaster for the Russians either. The Black Sea Fleet loss is pretty meh, all considered.
We should be reinforcing *Poland* about now, not reinforcing the failure in Ukraine.
” except this time, the lack of support is coming mostly from the right, or republicans.”
The radical left is awakening too. Seethe Code Pink demo in the Capitol a couple days ago. Ukraine better make hay while the sun is still shining. They need a big victory, not this nickel and dime stuff.
Also, there's a whole bunch of battleships that *didn't* stay in port after the sinking of Force Z. There's one that fought her way across the entire planet, both major theaters of WW2, sitting in dry dock in Galveston right now.
I think you need to review your WW2 history.
Because it’s the Black Sea, much like the US’ Great Lakes. It’s only got one entry/exit point and it belongs to someone else. There’s nothing else for them to do unless an enemy force enters the Bosphorus Straits, which is owned by Turkey.
How does it feel to be on the no-fly list?
I’ve never flown in my life so being on a list doesn’t impact me.
Agreed. The Guardian is nothing but a communist tabloid.
It’s lower in credibility than the National Enquirer.
Battleships were obsolete before the end of the war because shaped charge weapons made their armor irrelevant.
They couldn’t be used as originally intended because they were so vulnerable.
Keels laid in 1943 and after were scrapped and never completed.
Underway at sea, less so.
Except that nobody was using air dropped shaped charge weapons other than the Germans during WW2 - and they had indifferent success at best. Shaped charges don’t really come into play until the post-war missile era.
The primary reason post-43 BB construction ended was because it was clear that none built after that date would be ready in time for the end of the war. Also, resources were needed for the carriers. Later, post war BB ideas ended when the Soviets started deploying the SS-N-1 Scrubber and the AS-1 Kennel in the early 1950s.
Battleships were less vulnerable to aircraft than some thought - but much like tanks, you don’t send them out without an escort if you have a choice.
You might want to look at the absolute idiocy in the British Admiralty that led to the sinking of Force Z. Hint - the British high command had a lot of idiot ideas about what the Japanese couldn’t do.
The Black Sea is a special case. It’s a small sea and ships are easily detected on it. In fact, IIRC, there is complete and total radar coverage of the whole thing by non-Russian and non-Ukrainian sources. Sitting in port with the aid of ground defenses can actually have a significant advantage - again, the Black Sea is weird that way.
The Crimea was bought by Catherine the Great for Russia in about 1785 and Russia owns it, it never a part of Ukraine in any scenario. It is the only warm water port they have and the Russians will never give that up.
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