DISCLOSURE: Sourced from Russian government funded media
Russia assembles unprecedented grouping of warships in the Black Sea
… from South Front, with a possible Russian bias
[ Editor’s Note: I don’t know why the Russian command would concentrate so large a naval force in a relatively enclosed area when, if a Ukraine conflict arose, it would be primarily a ground operation.
Maybe the increased concentration of air defenses and long range cruise missiles was considered crucial for defending the Russian base in Crimea. But the missiles could have been stationed on land without risking the loss of a ship.
Maybe it is a deterrent, but for what… the US or NATO going in? What for? By the time they deployed, the ground operation would be over. Sanctions would be triggered, Nordstream 2 possibly toast and Moscow would have Donbass, and natural gas cut off to Europe.
But at what cost, especially if precious naval assets were lost, which take years to replace?
US war hype continues with the old tired, false flag media spin, a repeat story that US media is giving huge coverage to, but without posing what motivation would Putin have to make such a move? It would seem to only benefit NATO beating the drum about Russian aggression. Ukraine is more than capable of rigging a false flag event if NATO asks it to.
Mind you, the US has 700 overseas bases, with Russia and China maybe a half dozen between them. How many regime changes have Russia and China facilitated in the last 20 to 30 years, versus the West and NATO? This is not rocket science as to who is really beating the war drums… Jim W. Dean ]
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First published February 12, 2022
As part of the fleet exercises in the Black Sea, an unprecedented grouping of Russian warships is being assembled for the first time in many years.
Excluding small landing craft, small missile, small anti-submarine ships, submarines and auxiliary ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, the naval strike group of Russia consists of:
- Varyag Cruiser
- Cruiser Moscow
- Cruiser Marshal Ustinov
- Frigate Admiral Grigorovich
- Frigate Admiral Makarov
- Frigate Admiral Essen
- Frigate Admiral Kasatonov
- BOD (large anti-submarine ship) Admiral Tributs
- BOD Admiral Kulakov
- BDK (large landing craft) Korolev
- BDK Minsk
- BDK Kaliningrad
- BDK Olenegorsky miner
- BDK George the Victorious
- BDK Pyotr Morgunov
- BDK Yamal
- BDK Azov
- BDK Caesar Kunikov
- BDK Novocherkassk
- BDK Nikolay Filchenkov
- BDK Saratov
- BDK Orsk
- SRZ (reconnaissance ship) Vasily Tatishchev
- Valentin Pikul minesweeper
- Vice Admiral Zaharin minesweeper
Also, two more corvettes will be relocated from the Atlantic grouping of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation, which, while in the Celtic Sea and now headed south to Gibraltar.
Click to see the full-size image
The cruisers of the Moscow type have on board the S-300F air defense system, with a range of up to 100 km and an ammunition supply of up to 150 long-range missiles in total. That is, they create a powerful air defense umbrella for the entire group.
The frigates are equipped with Caliber (Kalibr) missile launch systems, which are designed for strikes on point coastal targets, totaling at least 50 missiles, not counting missiles from small missile ships and submarines.
Modern rapid-firing artillery systems are installed on Russian cruisers, which, almost at the pace of a machine gun, can fire projectiles weighing 33 kg at coastal targets, at a range of up to 27 km.
Click to see the full-size image
In case of provocations by Ukraine or NATO and the subsequent need to land troops near Odessa.
The air defense of cruisers can completely deprive them of the opportunity to use aviation against them, the artillery of the ship group can be used to suppress enemy resistance centers on the shore, and the Caliber complexes will not allow the use of any anti-ship systems.
Up to 2 brigades of marines with equipment can be transferred to 13 BDK, with the possibility of landing a group of troops directly in the port in Odessa, or on the beaches.
Click to see the full-size image
The combined combat potential of the Russian group in the Black Sea is unprecedented over the past few decades.
At the same time, it is more likely that such forces are concentrated not for an aggressive attack on Ukraine, but as a measure to deter the adventurous provocations of the Kiev regime and its Anglo-Saxon patrons.
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
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What “aggression” are you talking about?
Russia may move to secure the LPR and DPR regions and impose a wide demilitarized zone to the west. Beyond that I don’t see and further action beyond special forces incursions to cripple Ukrainian logistics. If the West pushed ahead to impose the Minsk protocols this all would have been avoided. Putin will make a move – of that there is no doubt. The attempted Kazakhstan coup we can be sure further provoked Putin to facing down the NATO threat that has dogged Russia beyond endurance. In fact it may have been the final straw.
The West has lost the window of opportunity and the drawdown of recent days by Western forces has left Putin in control of what happens next either through last-ditch diplomacy or military action on the ground. Hopefully, the former.
The $85 billion in ‘left’ equipment is bogus. Blowing it all up does not take a huge effort. There was a lot ov video showing it all. Withdrawls in a situation where the allies implode is always a mess. It had been Trump’s war for four years, and he did not want to withdraw on his watch, which passed the bag of poop on to Biden. The generals all know this but kept their heads low.
maze-runner…points taken… but the balkanisation of turkey is inevitable. the sea of Marmara is the key.
the russians can simply occupy it and shell in all directions…the north east segment above the Dardanelles will be taken..the greeks wont object in fact they will probably help. The short section and width adjacent to istanbul is 30 kms…Istanbul can just be isolated…(shelled from both sides…the blacksea and Sea of Marmara) but not destroyed. The more “difficult section” from Akeay to Bandirma is only 130km. This possibly might be the only front the turks can fight with the landbased army. In the air…Ankara etc will be destroyed overnight. The turks will not have airpower..period. The russian sea power from the med and the black sea will prevail. Do you seriously believe that the “Ukraine bullshit” is a containable war…its irrelevant. If russia moves seriously they will secure entrance to the Med…guaranteed.
Yes, probably right. But do not underestimate Russian EMP and hypersonic missiles that can reach any part of Europe and USA. And if NATO is to attack Russian military directly, WW3 will be prompt. I don’t think that will happens.
Those 3 Slava cruisers have enough firepower to wipe out most of NATO’s Mediterranean based fleet, including the US contribution. You add in the Kaliber-armed submarines lurking underneath and its game over before it even starts.
This was the usual insanity comment from Trump, injecting himself into the spotlight, always the showman.
Once the missiles start flying and “dial-a-yield” tactical nuclear warheads are used this can only escalate into an all-out nuclear conflict between the USA and Russia, just what the crazy US Christian Zionists pray for each and every day.
well in my view they intend to take the Dardanelles from the black Sea and the med…Ukraine is irrelevant…they will take that to the Knieper river especially where the chabad have a headquarters
The east of ukraine…mainly russian speaking and wish to rejoin russia will clap as the russians enter.
They will use the river as a new border…plus probably a twenty mile buffer zone. Kiev will be russian.
Turkey hasnt a chance. their “million man ” army is hot air and the kurds will exploit as will armenians
Erdogan…a donmeh jew…expect all that to roll out
“Taking the Dardanelles” would make an enemy of Turkey, the 2nd largest military force in NATO. It would be an extremely stupid thing to do. Russia just doesn’t have the forces available to capture the Dardanelles as well as Ukraine. They barely have enough to take all of the Ukraine, but could likely obtain some smaller, strategic objectives. Putin will avoid a messy drawn out war in Ukraine, but use “shock & Awe” tactics to obtain a few critical objectives, such as a corridor from Russia to the Crimea, a push through to the outskirts of Kyiv and an enlargement of the Donbass perimeter, removing DPR and LPR cities and infrastructure from the threat of long range artillery and smerch attacks.
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