This just broke less than an hour ago on Rachel Maddow’s show, and while there are discrepancies as to the reason for the event, both sides apparently agree that the event happened.
The Ukraine government is claiming that they fired off two ground-to-sea missiles that hit and disabled Russia’s Black Sea flagship, the Moscow, and that the ship was disabled. NBC News was not able to independently confirm the claim, until the two largest Russian news agencies, Tass and Interburo released reports indicating that the ship had been disabled. Unlike Ukraine however, the Russian agencies claimed that a fire had broken out on board, and the crew had been evacuated for safety reasons.
This is so much bullshit on so many levels. For starters, a naval cruiser is basically built to be indestructible. Sweet Jesus! The thing is basically iron, steel, and aluminum! Other than the fuel tanks, and the ammo dumps, there isn’t much to catch fire. And what can catch fire is easily contained and neutralized. And nobody, and I mean nobody, evacuates a vessel that they think can be salvaged and taken off to a friendly harbor. Russia’s admission that the ship was evacuated is an admission that it won’t be floating much longer.
Personally, I believe Ukraine’s version. If for no better reason than they already have a track record. It was only ten days or so ago that it was confirmed that Ukraine had used a surface-to-sea missile to disable and sink a Russian supply ship that was slinking around off the coast of Odessa, looking for a way in. Sorry guys! Back to your 2002 expiration date MRE’s. Bon Appetit!
If this is true, it is critical for two reasons. First, in their last tranche of military aid to Ukraine, both the UK as well as the US provided a healthy dollop of surface-to-sea missiles. If they’re already doing this well with what they have, then when they get the new stuff, the Russian Black Sea fleet cordon around Odessa is in deep trouble. And that’s critical because Putin is relying heavily on naval bombardment to help to make Odessa fall. Especially since Putin’s new plan seems to be to link the Donbas region with a land corridor through Odessa to Crimea, giving him a deep sea port to the Black Sea.
The second reason is that, if it’s true, it’s just one more example of what we already know. Mainly, that US and NATO armaments are vastly superior to the shit that Russia is putting into play. And if it’s true, it also shows that the Ukrainian soldiers are very proficient at using these weapons. All they need is enough of them.
But here’s what binds the cheese. It was only a couple of weeks ago that two Ukrainian helicopters flew at grasshopper level to avoid Russian radar, went 25 miles into Russian territory, and took out a Russian military fuel dump. And the Russians admitted it. And guess what? Among the US gifts in the latest military aid package is 11 attack helicopters! And they’ll be there within days, ready to go. With that kind of support, what do you bet the odds are that over the next week or so, we wake up some bright morning to the news that Ukrainian helicopters had sprung another overnight assault, this time on that 8 mile long convoy, fucking up the route for days, if not weeks, while the Russians clear the wreckage in order to proceed?
The new delivery also includes artillery, critical for the kind of open field battle that is about to occur, along with 40,000 rounds of artillery shells. It also has more Switchblade suicide drones, capable of taking out tanks and artillery. The Butcher of Aleppo has no idea of what he’s walking into.
I lived on a destroyer tender. In boot camp you are trained to deal with fire, being trapped in a smoke filled room, etc. The greatest fire risk is on aircraft carriers due to the jet fuel. You are correct in noting the ship has very little on it that catches fire easily, other than humans. Besides the weapons themselves, the fighting spirit of people defending their homeland cannot be matched by the Russians. That weapon cannot be generated by lies or threats.
Are you by any chance a Shellback? Even if like me you’re a Pollywog I wonder what you think of my suggestion for trolling the Russian Navy. Check out my comment below yours.
Came close but also a pollywog. Carter stayed out of wars but other than losing a war, losing your ship was unthinkable. Troll all these son of bitches from the sea to shining sea. This is a goddamn war against fascism abroad & here at home.
This is the flagship of the Naval portion of Russia’s invasion, and it’s freaking named the Moscow for their capitol city! The only thing that would make this more embarrassing for Vlad is if that sucker had been named the Putin! (please, please let their be a ship with that name and it being in those waters. I’d imagine there would be no shortage of Ukranian Marines with Spec Ops training willing to go on a no-return mission to plant & detonate enough explosives in the right spots to sink that sucker)
I agree with your assessment that Russia chose to own some serious humiliation by claiming their guys fucked up so badly as to cripple their flagship rather than admit Ukraine took it out of action. This by the way is the same ship that was told “Russian Navy – Go fuck yourselves.” I think Ukraine has gotten some serious payback on that ship.
Kudos to the crew that did the job and took the Moscow out of action. That was some serious shit they pulled off and the consequences will I think be far reaching as it will cause the Russian Navy to step back a good ways and re-evaluate what the can and cannot do, which will in turn negatively impact Russia’s ground strategy for linking up a “land bridge” to Odessa. I think the missile crew that took out the Moscow deserves some special recognition and in the form of some MAJOR trolling of Russia and its Navy.
I first learned about all this some hours ago when I checked out DK. I made a comment on the story I’ll re-create here. Now, granted I’m a mere slimy Pollywog and know full well the wrath I might call down on myself for daring to suggest to Shellbacks what they should do but once again here goes. (For those who don’t know when U.S. Navy Vessels cross the equator the pause on the line to allow for the initiation of Pollywogs into the Ancient Order of Shellbacks. It’s even noted in Sailor’s and Marines’ Service Records including how many times they cross the line! King Neptune presides over gatherings of Pollywogs to be presented with both their worthiness and transgressions and assigns punishments for the latter to be carried out before the Pollywogs can attain Shellback Status. It’s all in good fun but visits to the Royal Dentist, kissing the Royal Baby, trips crawling through the “Tunnel of Love”and that final swim across the Royal Lagoon are no day at the beach!)
Putin may not know about this (I’m sure the Russian Navy has its own version) but their Navy sure as hell does, so my suggestion to any Shellbacks reading this is to plead the case directly to Neptunis Rex, Ruler of the Raging Main to, even if members of the missile crew have never crossed the line grant them full status and privileges to know and admire all the mysteries of the Briny Deep immediately. A nice meme could be made and put on social media. And it would burn the Russian Navy’s ass! Trust me, that bit of trolling would be EPIC for Russian squids.
Seriously, if I knew anybody who knew anybody I’d be wanting them to take this idea to the Chief of Naval Operations and have him kick it around with some of the Master Chief Petty Officers in the Pentagon. Special circumstances and all that.
Tell me about it Denis!@ This is why I’m so confident about Ukraine. They have spent 8 years being trained up by, and receiving military by the US and NATO… The Russian equipment is shit, the product of a corrupt defense industry… Just give them what they need, and let them finish the job…
A-10s are supposed to be pretty useful against ships as well as tanks and ground forces…
Odessa is an important port, but it is not on the land bridge side. It is west of Crimea. The ports on the sea of azov are the ones on the land bridge side.
I have been thinking about the weapons transfers. The us has not been in tank warfare in 20 years. Sea war in 75 years. The us military industrial complex is probably joyful at the opportunity to test out all sorts of weapon systems to see how well they do in real combat situations. I bet they threw in some testing weapons for free.
Drones and satalites need testing.
I suspect that the redeployment to the east will not have any more success than the attack on kiev. Battle of Kursk anyone?
I was thinking Waterloo but yeah, Kursk works too.
fun fact the last major ship to be sunk in combat was the General Belgrano of the Argentine navy nearly 40 years ago during the Falklands war.
They used battleship for shelling the coast in Vietnam.
That’s NOT a “sea” war. If you’re using that as an argument, well, the US used battleships to shell Lebanese Druze and Shi’ite militia targets in the 1980s.
What I understood “sea” war to mean was one between two or more opposing naval forces, with all those forces being AT SEA during the battle.
I don’t recall any battleships being used but plenty of smaller ships down to Destroyers were used. Then there was what was known as the Brown Water Navy – U.S. patrol boats that could operate on rivers. Of course, all manner of hell was unleashed by carrier launched aircraft.
USS New Jersey was used to shell targets in Vietnam in the late 1960’s
I stand corrected. I know she was stationed in the waters off Beirut and made life hell for the gomers up in the Chouf.
Officially the best news I’ve heard in the last three months to come out Ukraine. It’s especially true when one thinks about the horrific civilian suffering on all levels (not just death; one report I saw today gave me flashbacks to the Bosnian “rape camps” of the 1990s) that’s going to keep going as long as Russia stays in-country.
I recall hearing how a ship like this in the US fleet costs a billion plus. This loss is easily in the hundreds of millions. I can’t help but wonder if this is related to Maersk deciding to pull out of Russia. FYI, that’s a REALLY big deal because they represent the bulk of all Russian maritime shipping. The already tight squeeze on both Russian military and society will be magnified once they’re done.
The Ukrainians just need to hit that sitting duck with the finishing blow.
11 Apache AH-64Ds would make short work of any Russian columns. The Apache-A was just coming into service as I was getting out. I was a Huey mechanic and we were told by a pilot of the “new” bird that it can track, engage and destroy 24 targets simultaneously.
These birds suddenly appearing over the tree tops could make easy, fast work of their armored columns and supply lines.
Moskva isn’t sunk, unfortunately, but it’s damaged badly enough that it’s being towed to Sevastopol.
Too bad: I was hoping it would be the first Slava-class submarine.
It could still happen, even without more Ukrainian “help.”
looks like it is sunk now.
Probably could edit or repost .. THEY SANK IT!