Post by jdv on Apr 15, 2022 11:26:05 GMT -5
"Russia has confirmed the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet has sunk after what Ukraine said was a missile attack by their forces. If the facts are as claimed, the sinking is the most significant warship loss in decades, and possibly since the Second World War.
Russian state media has confirmed the guided-missile cruiser and erstwhile flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva (Moscow) sunk on Thursday.
The sinking of the Moskva is certainly the first loss in action of a major warship since the Falklands War, however whether the loss of a fleet flagship guided-missile cruiser — essentially a capital ship and of immense value — is actually the first of its kind since the Second World War."
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While the loss of this has virtually no impact on the day to day fighting in the Ukraine, it does further erode the idea of Russia being a vastly formidable foe.
And while the US gets to fight a proxy war with Russia, the Russians themselves are dying by the bucket full.
That, combined with now radioactive soldiers dug in around Chernobyl, and the frightful financial losses imposed by sanctions (not to mention the loss of creature comforts like on-demand TV and new movies), and the looming threat of famine this coming winter and one wonders how long Putin can continue to rule.
Of course the Russians are used to poor leadership and have endured perhaps more self-created destruction than any other people on earth, which means it will have to get a lot worse before the generals have seen enough....
Yet even if the war ended today, the damage done to the perception of Russian invincibility in Eastern Europe is long gone.
say hello to Davy Jones for me....
