#putin's shrinking black sea fleet

[tomorrowusa]

Ukraine hit yet another ship in Russia's shrinking Black Sea Fleet.

This time it was what the Russian navy calls a "rescue ship" (i.e. a salvage ship) called the Kommuna.

The interesting thing about the Kommuna is that it was originally commissioned on 14 July 1915 – when Tsar Nikolai II was ruling Russia as a near-absolute monarch during World War I. Russia again has a near-absolute leader during another catastrophic war. 🤔

It tells us something about the state of the Russian military that they were still using in active service a ship that is essentially a museum piece. We already have seen them using tanks in Ukraine that date back to the Nikita Khrushchev era. People in the West who run around with their hair on fire worrying about Russia's alleged strength are not looking closely at the reality of this strength.

The Kommuna was damaged at Russian-occupied Sevastopol by a Neptune (Нептун Р-360) missile which was manufactured by Ukraine.

Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Navy, told the Liga media outlet on April 21 that the navy had struck a ship in occupied Sevastopol and confirmed that it was the Kommuna, a salvage ship. The extent of the damage to the ship is unclear at the time of this publication. Earlier in the day, the Russian proxy official Mikhail Razvozhayev claimed an anti-ship missile had been "repelled" in occupied Sevastopol and that "fragments caused a small fire, which was quickly extinguished. Unverified video posted to social media appeared to show a Russian naval vessel on fire and local media reported the Crimea bridge had been closed. The Kommuna was launched in 1915 and is the oldest ship still in service in the Russian Navy. Sevastopol is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and is frequently targeted by Ukrainian missile and sea drone strikes. Pletenchuk said on March 30 that Russia had withdrawn nearly all its major ships from ports in occupied Crimea following successful Ukrainian strikes. To prevent further Ukrainian drone strikes on the Black Sea fleet, Russian forces in occupied Crimea are constructing barriers at the entrance to Sevastopol Bay, the partisan group Atesh reported on March 27.

[tomorrowusa]

Russia, which tankies and Trumpsters bizarrely worship as some sort of unbeatable superpower, has just had another one of its submarines in the Black Sea destroyed. The Rostov-on-Don (Ростов-на-Дону), which was launched the year Putin illegally annexed Crimea, is now sleeping with the fishes.

Ukraine's military said on August 3 that it had sunk a submarine in Russian-controlled Sevastopol, attacked a southern Russian airfield, and targeted oil depots and fuel and lubricant storage facilities in a number of regions. "A Russian submarine went to the bottom of the Black Sea," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on X, naming the vessel as the B-237 Rostov-on-Don attack submarine.

Ukraine also took out several S-400 missile launchers nearby which likely had been targeting civilians in Ukraine.

The military's General Staff said the attack on the Crimean port also significantly damaged four launchers of the S-400 anti-aircraft Triumf defense system. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the attack. Earlier, on the night of August 2, dozens of drones were launched against targets in at least three Russian regions, setting two oil storage facilities ablaze, Russian authorities reported.

There can't be much left of Russia's Black Sea fleet. The remaining ships mostly cower at the eastern end of the sea to try to stay out of range of Ukrainian drones and missiles.

[tomorrowusa]

Yet another Russian warship is sleeping with the fishes. Vladimir Putin, his minion Donald Trump, and his minion "MAGA Mike" Johnson are all in tears.

This time it's a missile-corvette called the Sergey Kotov. It is a relatively new vessel, having been commissioned just over 19 months ago. It was hit by MAGURA V5 sea drones built and operated by Ukraine. The Sergey Kotov sank off the coast of Feodosiya (also transliterated as Feodosia) in Russian-occupied Crimea.

It will not be easy to replace this vessel.

Another Month. Another Russian Warship, Blown Up On The Black Sea. Ukraine’s drone boats are relentless.

The 308-foot, 1,700-ton Project 22160 corvette reportedly sank off of Feodosiya in southeastern Crimea. If confirmed, the sinking would extend the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s losing streak as Russia’s wider war on Ukraine grinds into its third year. Since February 2022 the Ukrainians have blown up or sunk four Russian landing ships, a cruiser, a submarine, a supply ship, several patrol boats and small landing craft and now two missile-corvettes.

Why these sinkings in the Black Sea are significant.

Russian shipyards still manage to build large submarines, but they struggle to build surface warships heavier than a few thousand tons. And while the Russians might eventually be able to construct a new Project 22160 to replace Sergei Kotov, they wouldn’t be able to sail the new ship into the Black Sea. That’s because the only major waterway in and out of the Black Sea—the Bosporus Strait—is controlled by Turkey, a NATO member. And, during wartime, Turkey doesn’t allow any warships into the Black Sea. Allied or enemy.

This was not a short distance operation. The drones had to travel around the southern tip of occupied Crimea.

A reminder that today is Day 741 of Putin's 3-day genocidal "special operation" in Ukraine. Wars don't end because people on social media get tired of them.

[tomorrowusa]

Ukrainian sea drones are becoming faster, more accurate, and more powerful. With a range of over 1,000 km, they must keep commanders of Putin's Black Sea from getting much sleep.

Ukrainian naval drones Sea Baby have been modernized and can now carry almost a ton of explosives to hit a target over 1,000 kilometers away, Artem Dekhtiarenko, the spokesperson of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), said on April 14. "This means that the SBU can reach a target almost anywhere in the Black Sea," added Dekhtiarenko. In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on occupied Crimea, targeting Russian military assets in and around the Black Sea with domestically-produced sea drones and long-range missiles. Russia has illegally occupied the peninsula since 2014. As of early February 2024, 33% of the Russian Black Sea fleet's warships had been disabled by Ukraine, the Strategic Communications Center of Ukraine's Armed Forces recently reported. The SBU currently uses two types of sea drones — Sea Baby and Mamai, Dekhtiarenko said on national television.

"These are already new generations of drones, on the improvement of which the team of SBU specialists worked and continues to work together with other members of the Security and Defense Forces."

Ukraine continues to develop and upgrade its sea drone forces. When Russian missile launching vessels are forced to cower in distant ports, they are unable to launch attacks on Ukrainian maternity hospitals and schools.

Ukraine's ability to rule the waves of the Black Sea, despite having no real navy, is another example of its determination to fight off Russian invaders.

The only way to end the war is to make Ukraine safe from Russian aggression. Putin is already in violation of several treaties and other international agreements regarding Ukrainian sovereignty. Only a fool or MAGA supporter (basically the same thing) would expect Putin to respect any new agreement. Appeasement of Hitler did not stop World War II – it accelerated it.

If you're in the US, look up your member of the House of Representatives and demand that Russophile Speaker "MAGA Mike" Johnson quit blocking US aid to Ukraine which has already passed the Senate. And I'm talking to you – not the neighbor with the broken porch light.

Find Your Representative

If you have a MAGA zombie as a Representative, ask: Why do you hate freedom?

[tomorrowusa]

More bad news for Putin's Black Sea fleet. 😁

The Ukrainian Air Force has taken out the Novocherkassk, a 112.5 meter landing vessel, which was parked at the port of Feodosia in illegally occupied Crimea.

Russia says the Novocherkassk was "damaged"; that's quite an understatement. Looking at this photo, you can see it mostly submerged and badly burnt in front of some dock structures.

There are unconfirmed reports that the Novocherkassk was carrying Iranian Shahed drones. The presence of the Novocherkassk at a dock with large cranes and the disproportionately powerful explosion would indicate that the Novocherkassk had a significant amount of munitions on board at the time and may have been either delivering or loading them.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the destruction of the Russian Novocherkassk with a classic burn...

I am grateful to our Air Force for the impressive replenishment of the Russian underwater Black Sea fleet with another vessel. Вдячний нашим Повітряним силам за ефектне поповнення російського підводного Чорноморського флоту ще однією посудиною.

Considering that Ukraine has little in the way of a navy, some of its most high profile successes against Russia have been on the Black Sea.

Ukrainian Air Force Claims Destruction Of Russian Ship In Crimea; Moscow Confirms Missile Strike

[tomorrowusa]

Today is Day 817 of Vladimir Putin's 3-day "special operation" in Ukraine. Just to provide context, 817 days after Hitler's invasion of Poland was 26 November 1941; the US had yet to enter World War II.

So no matter how much Russia tries to hide its warships, Ukraine keeps finding them and destroying them.

The latest Russian warship to sleep with the fishes is the Kovrovets (Ковровец).

Ukraine’s Navy said on May 19 that it had “destroyed” Russian sea minesweeper Kovrovets overnight, refuting Moscow’s earlier claims of having repelled strikes on occupied Crimea. The report comes amid Ukraine’s ongoing campaign targeting the Russian Black Sea Fleet, inflicting damage on warships one after another. In April, Ukraine’s Navy had said that it struck Kommuna, a salvage ship that was launched in 1915 and is the oldest ship still in service in the Russian Navy. Earlier on May 19, Moscow claimed that it had shot down nine U.S.-provided long-range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles, and a drone over Crimea. Ukraine’s Navy has not elaborated on how the reported strike was carried out. Russian proxy official in Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said at around midnight that the air defense was working in the city. He said no damage to civilian infrastructure was recorded. The sea minesweeper Kovrovets, with a crew of 68 people, belongs to the Project 266 Akvamarin class, known in NATO as the Yurka class. This Soviet-origin class detects mines up to 150 meters deep and has two 30mm AK-230M naval guns with a high-resolution Lynx radar installed.

[tomorrowusa]

Thanks to Ukrainian drones, the Russian guided missile corvette Ivanovets is now sleeping with the fishes. BTW, great vid above! 🇺🇦❤️

Ukraine thought to have sunk Russian warship near occupied Crimea

Ukrainian forces are believed to have sunk the Russian Ivanovets warship near occupied Crimea in a sophisticated overnight attack by multiple sea drones, demonstrating Kyiv’s expanding power in the Black Sea. Ukraine’s military intelligence published a grainy video showing several sea drones attacking the Russian corvette, ending with three dramatic images showing it listing, exploding and sinking into the water. Ukraine said the boat had been sunk, as did leading Russian military bloggers. Hours later, western officials said they believed the warship had been destroyed in an attack that used long range uncrewed drones. [ ... ] Russia did not immediately comment on the incident, but a number of pro-Kremlin military bloggers close to Moscow confirmed that the Ivanovets warship was hit. [ ... ] Although Ukraine began the war with no navy, scuttling its only frigate to prevent it from falling into Russian hands, Kyiv has gradually pushed back on Moscow’s early dominance of the Black Sea through long range missile attacks and the innovative use of sea drones.

Considering that the Vermont National Guard probably has more military ships than Ukraine, the Ukrainian Navy now terrifies the Russian Black Sea fleet. There's little Russian presence in the western part of the sea these days.

The Ivanovets probably thought it was safe where it was anchored. It was in a body of water called Lake Donuzlav in occupied Crimea. Though it is more like a bay with a narrow opening to the Black Sea.

^^^ That opening is just 435 meters wide, a little over 4.5 US football fields. But Ukrainian sea drone pilots managed to navigate several of their kamikaze vessels into the bay without being detected up to that point.

The sinking of the Ivanovets is just one of several bits of good news for Ukraine in the past few days.

Putin toady Viktor Orbán, the homophobic leader of Turkey Hungary, was forced to back down from his threat to block €50 billion in aid to Ukraine.

EU agrees €50bn package for Ukraine as Viktor Orbán bows to pressure

A robust and united position among EU member states convinced Viktor Orbán to end his “blackmail” and support a €50bn (£43bn) funding package for Ukraine, European prime ministers have said. The Hungarian prime minister, who had been vowing to block the funds since December, performed one of the fastest U-turns seen at a leaders’ summit after six weeks of brinkmanship. There was relief that the deal was finally done but also a sense of fury among leaders who had been dragged to Brussels for the second time in as many months to try to get the package over the line after Orbán blocked the aid in December. The Finnish prime minister, Petteri Orpo, said: “Nobody can blackmail 26 countries of the EU. Our values were not for sale.” Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, who said he had “nothing nice” to say to the Hungarian prime minister, warned there would be no reward for Orbán or anyone who had tried to solicit “rotten compromises”.

Also, Dark Brandon strikes again! President Biden is using his discretionary powers as commander-in-chief to get some military aid to Ukraine while the House Putin Caucus at the direction of sex offender Donald Trump continues to block Biden's $61 billion aid package.

First Ecuador, Now Greece: Joe Biden Is Finding More And More Countries To Help Him Arm Ukraine

“Ring-trade.” Remember that term. Increasingly, it’s how U.S. president Joe Biden is arming Ukraine. He did it with Ecuador. Now he’s doing it with Greece, too. A ring-trade is, in essence, a circular swap. One country pays or arms a second country so the second country can arm a third country. Germany pioneered the ring-trade—Ringtausch—for supporting Ukraine, most notably giving to... The Czech Republic: 14 Leopard 2 tanks and an engineering vehicle in exchange for the Czech Republic having given to Ukraine potentially dozens of T-72 tanks; Greece: 40 Marder fighting vehicles so that Greece could donate to Ukraine 40 BMP-1 fighting vehicles; Slovakia: 15 Leopard 2A4s to compensate for 30 BVP-1 fighting vehicles Slovakia donated to Ukraine. Slovenia: 45 military-grade heavy trucks so that Slovenia would give to Ukraine 28 M-55S tanks. The United States with its greater stocks of old weapons eventually could surpass Germany as a ring-trader. And it has every reason to do so. For four months now, a small contingent of pro-Russia Republican lawmakers, led by the extremist speaker of the U.S. House Mike Johnson, has blocked $61 billion in new U.S. government funding for Ukraine’s war effort. In early January, Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa revealed in a radio interview that Ecuador would give to the United States “scrap” weapons in exchange for new weapons—worth $200 million—that the United States would provide at a later date. The United States then would donate the “scrap” to Ukraine. Some of that old hardware apparently shipped aboard an Antonov An-124 airlifter on Jan. 25. [ ... ] According to Greek newspaper Kathimerini and other media, the Biden administration offered the government in Athens three 87-foot Protector-class patrol boats, two Lockheed Martin C-130H airlifters, 10 Allison T56 turboprop engines for Lockheed P-3 patrol planes plus 60 M-2 Bradley fighting vehicles and a consignment of transport trucks. In exchange for this largess, the Americans want the Greeks to donate more weapons to the Ukrainians. “We continue to be interested in the defense capabilities that Greece could transfer or sell to Ukraine,” Blinken wrote. The Greek government reportedly already has earmarked old weapons for onward transfer to the government in Kyiv. As with Ecuador, the trade could involve air-defense equipment: S-300 and Hawk long-range missiles and launchers and Tor and Osa short-range missiles and launchers. This indirect U.S. support of Ukraine via ring-trades is necessary because, starting in October, Republicans in the U.S. Congress made it clear they probably never will approve additional direct military aid to Ukraine. [ ... ] [L]ook for Biden to get more creative as Republican intransigence persists. The president even could donate excess defense articles directly to Ukraine, and in large quantities, assuming Ukraine or some other country pays for shipping.

[tomorrowusa]

A Ukrainian sea drone seriously damaged a Russian warship close to Novorossiysk. Russia claimed that the attack on the Olenegorsk Gornyak was "fake", but videos show the heavily damaged 113 meter-long vessel being towed into port.

Looking at the geography, we see what a big deal this was.

The drone traveled an estimated 424 miles/683 km from its likely launch point into a harbor in Russia proper.

The sea drones are of Ukrainian design and manufacture. The Russian Black Sea fleet can no longer feel secure in most of that body of water.

And in more recent news, another Ukrainian drone hit a chemical tanker near the Kerch Strait.

Russia says tanker hit in Ukrainian attack near Crimea

Let Putin's boats sleep with the fishes – or at least have to be recycled for scrap metal.