Turnaround in the war at sea: Russia retains 5 of 13 ships
14 February 2024 19:29
The Project 775 Battleship Caesar Kunikov escaped retribution in Berdiansk when it was damaged by Tochka’s rollers and went under repair for a year.
Then, in April 2022, its captain, Yevhen Chyrva, died of wounds and burns in Sevastopol.
The repairs took a long time, as the ship has a Polish engine and spare parts for it are also rare now, and the competence of those who made these repairs is often even less – Russians have to try harder to put these ships in service, even during ongoing repairs.
Prior to that, the ship took an active part in the aggression against Georgia – paratroopers were deployed from its board, who entered Poti, seized the port and blew up Georgian coastal defence boats.
“The Caesar Kunikov was also part of the Syrian Express, which supplied a group of Russian troops assisting the Assad regime.
But on 14 February 2024, it turned into a Valentine’s Day present from the Defence Forces.
The “soulless” (unmanned) 385th Naval Brigade also attacked the DIU target – again, as in the case of the Ivanivets missile boat, with a “wolf pack” of MAGURA V5 unmanned surface ships.
The interception of the submarine took place between Foros and Simeiz.
Several hundred kilograms of explosives were brought into the area of the central post, the port side was attacked several times, and the area of the après-ski was pierced.
Even if the drone’s warhead weighs 200-300 kg, it would have caused severe damage to the UAV and a threat of sinking in a matter of hours.
Eyewitnesses in Simeiz reported at least five loud explosions and machine gun fire, but the DIU video does not show any organised resistance.
The ship collapsed on its port side, taking on tonnes of water.
The Russians are again broadcasting that everyone has been rescued and evacuated – I personally cannot imagine how you can fire machine guns and fight for your life, and then leave the ship on rafts and jump overboard in life jackets to survive in the February sea.
That’s right, because once the boat fell overboard after five hits, it was impossible to launch it. Moreover, there were definitely casualties from the explosions, and the sailors on the bridge and deck are clearly visible before the attack.
87 crew members here, 41 on Ivanivets – not bad.
Once again, the Defence Forces’ operational awareness in the theatre of operations is excellent – the ship was first detected by intelligence (no one would simply drive a “wolf pack” of unmanned vehicles to the enemy’s shore on routine duty).
Because the enemy has night helicopters and boats there, and the power reserve may not allow for an ambush for many hours.
Moreover, the Magur’s seaworthiness is low, so the timing is perfect – winter storms in the region are fierce, and it may not be possible to wait.
We knew and worked precisely on the Caesar Kunikov, at this exact point, when it was not moving, attacking with the first drone from the coast.
We caught the BDK at a crossing near Alupka.
So again, our guys knew the route, knew what it was loaded with, knew that there was no escort.
Intelligence did a great job, a huge job in the industry – manufacturing, launching, secrecy at all stages, the operators implemented the route that was built for them based on intelligence data outside the Black Sea Fleet patrol areas.
The BDK is a desirable target for us for two reasons.
The first is that the landing gear, ammunition and fuel cargo, and ballast tanks that allow the ramp to be opened make it difficult to fight for survivability.
The second is that after the sabotage on the Crimean bridge, trucks carrying cargo for the Ministry of Defence are being ferried by sea – they are probably afraid of being the ones who will once again report to Putin about the explosion on the road bridge.
The enemy needs to cover the bases, at least the raid on Sevastopol, Donuzlav and Novorossiysk, it needs to cover the Kerch shipping lane, it needs to protect the surviving modern frigates and corvettes, so there is not enough escort and firepower for everyone.
Moscow has suffered heavy losses in transport and amphibious ships – the Minsk is in the docks with its superstructures sawn off, the Olenegorskiy Gornyak is being repaired after the engine room was flooded, the Novocherkassk is scattered all over Feodosia, and the Saratov detonated in Berdiansk. “This is the fifth Caesar Kunikov.
Exactly half of them, and two of the remaining ones are undergoing routine repairs.
If something happens to Russia (in a country that attacks London, wipes the Baltic states off the map, or threatens to reach Warsaw with its tongue in a talk show, anything can happen), there is nothing to transport it with.
You could mobilise merchant ships, arm them with anti-aircraft guns and send them out to sea. We wanted to repeat what our grandfathers did, and it turned out very similar.
And this is the largest Russian ship sunk by a crewless Navy vessel – 4,080 tonnes, 112 metres long.
Automatically, all other ships in the Black Sea Fleet are under threat – and these are no longer Neptunes or Harpoons, these are technologies created as palliatives that can kill a large ship.
This means that the fleet of a huge regional superpower is being methodically knocked out by subsonic missiles and jet skis with explosives, controlled by a public satellite connection with a $150 per month subscription fee.
Yes, with a lot of help from intelligence and technology partners, but it is still a revolution in warfare at sea.
Author: Kirill Danilchenko
