"The 1980's are calling to ask for their foreign policy back."

Russia says ammunition blast damages flagship of Black Sea fleet - Interfax

I don't which makes the Russians look worse; letting the Ukrainians take a bite out of their flagship or chalking it up to an "explosion" which would basically make it look like incompetence on the crew's part.

Ukraine claims they hit it with missiles.

That's a big coup if that ship is out of commission.

So the Russians could be telling the truth..not quite the whole truth of course

Retired Adm. James Stavridis said on MSNBC that the first thing you learn at Annapolis is "Don't get your flagship blown up."

Kinzinger is what Republicans should be. So of course there's no place for him in the modern Republican party.

Interesting if true

And more:

Whole thread is worth reading but this seems relevant to the Moskva discussion.

Interesting stuff. I get a whiff from the Russians of the same kind of problems that the Japanese had in WW II. The Japanese Navy and Army hated each other and at times worked at cross purposes. Of course this Charlie Foxtrot operation could unite the military against Putin. Not likely, I grant you, but I do have to wonder how long Putin can stay immune to the effects of this mess, particularly as the casualties become harder to cover up and explain away. Someone just might get tempted to ride in on a white horse and be the new Russian hero. I wouldn't hold my breath on that, but something's gotta give...doesn't it?

Four or five other Russian ships have pulled away from the coast? Surely, they are trying to avoid a small fire accidentally breaking out in the ammunition!

Good thread:

Oh snap!

Sank?!?

Well, the Ukrainians did tell it to go fuck itself!

Someone's going to write a black comedy about all this and it will be epic.

LOL it's cute that Paladin thinks he can use the Ukraine situation to reapply for admission to the human race.

But no.

How would you like to be the guy who had to tell Putin that the flagship of his Black Sea Fleet has just been sunk?



I'm going to rate the Russian CIWS a 1 star. Definitely would not buy again.

The Moskva is irreplaceable. Not only was she the flagship of the Black Sea fleet, she was the only vessel in her class.

Built in Ukraine, naturally.

We'll see if Moscow is willing to test the Turkish closure of the straits to redeploying naval vessels. Normally I'd say certainly not, but Putin is more and more desparate.

And speaking of Moscow, that is literally just what sunk - the flagship was named after the city of Moscow, and is on the floor of the Black Sea now.

Moskva is Russian for Moscow.

It's extra funny because he clearly backed a Russian asset for the highest elected office in the United States of America.

Also, the numbnuts on this board who keep repping him should be ashamed of themselves.

I'm not sure even FF needed it dumbed down to that level.

I've never once gone wrong assuming there are stupid people nearby.

That comment, for example.

I wasn't aware one dork on a Star Trek-adjacent BBS had the power to include or exclude people from the human race. I had to take you off ignore just to know you were talking about me.

Funny that you're still pushing that. Tell me about the pee tape, the Steele dossier, the Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus.

I call 'em like I see 'em. And I'm happy to interact with anyone here, regardless of their political views, who will engage in interesting or thoughtful discussion.

I don't feel the need to silence or isolate those with different views.

Interesting take on Ukrainian tactics.

The Neptune is a brand new missile, debuted in 2019, has not been used in wartime before.

The Russians are concerned with the aerial strike capacity of the Bayraktar TB-2 drone. But it can not only launch missiles, it can also coordinate strikes with naval based missile batteries.

They deployed a TB-2 near the Moskva's airspace.

The Ukrainians know the Moskva quite well, as they built her in 1979. It's air defense system is one of the best Russia can field, but it's radar only has a 180 degree coverage.

So they used the TB-2 as a decoy during a storm. The Moskva locked on, and we don't know if the TB-2 survived. But the Moskva's primary radar was fixed in the wrong direction.

The Neptunes are sea skimming missiles, so the Black Sea fleet's lesser radars couldn't detect the difference between them and the wave tops in the heavy seas. Two missiles fired, two hit their target.

And when they abandoned the vessel and tried to tow it home, the storm finished her off and sank her.

Russians are paying a lot for not achieving air superiority. And the Ukrainians are fighting both with heart and a great deal of ingenuity.

And the Moskva was the key to the Russian Black Sea fleet's missile defense. So the entire task group has now retreated.

This is a big win for Ukraine.

Trade a drone for the flagship?