From the BBC:
“Ukraine's
Crimean fightback having 'psychological impact' on Russia”
(A graphic
showing lines of traffic fleeing)
Ukrainian
strikes on Crimea are having major psychological and operational effects on
Moscow's forces, Western officials have told journalists. Explosions at the
Saki airbase on 9 August and other assaults have put more than half of the
Black Sea fleet's naval jets out of action, they said. The fleet has a revered
history, but it has suffered a series of humiliations since the invasion began
in February. Officials said the setbacks have forced it to adopt a defensive
posture.
In March, the
fleet's flagship, the cruiser Moskva, was sunk by Ukraine. The 510-crew missile
cruiser had led Russia's naval assault on Ukraine, and its sinking was a major
symbolic and military blow. At the time, the Russian defence ministry said
ammunition on board the Moskva exploded in an unexplained fire, and the ship
tipped over while being towed back to port. In June, the fleet suffered another
embarrassment when it was forced to abandon Snake Island, a tiny outpost in the
north-west of the Black Sea seized by Russia on the first day of its invasion,
after coming under sustained Ukrainian bombardment. In recent weeks, the
fleet's home in the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, has come
under attack from Ukrainian forces. At least eight fighter jets were destroyed
in the bombardment of Saki airbase on 9 August.
Following the
attacks, scores of holidaymakers were seen fleeing the peninsula, which was
previously untouched by fighting. Images acquired by the BBC showed queues of
traffic on roads leading out of Crimea three days after the attack. The 9
August strikes were not the only apparent Ukrainian strikes in Crimea. In July,
Russian officials alleged that a Ukrainian drone attack forced an end to Navy
Day celebrations in Sevastopol, and on 16 August there were explosions at at
arms depot on the peninsula. The fact that explosions in Crimea - a place
previously considered to be well beyond the reach of any Ukrainian attack -
were watched by thousands of Russian tourists, many of whom have since fled
Crimea back into Russia, has had a psychological effect in Moscow, officials
told the media.
The Western
officials, who spoke unattributably on background, meaning they cannot be
named, said that Russia's Black Sea fleet has been reduced to little more than
a coastal flotilla that is now having to adopt a cautious attitude due to
Ukrainian attacks. They added that Russia's ability to launch an assault on the
port of Odesa in western Ukraine is highly unlikely in the short term. On
Wednesday, Russian state media reported that the fleet's commander, Igor
Osipov, had been replaced in light of the attacks. The RIA news agency said the
fleet's new chief, Viktor Sokolov, has been introduced to military leaders at
the port of Sevastopol. Moscow also seems to be trying to re-arm its
beleaguered fleet. State media reported that Admiral Sokolov told a group of
young officers that they will receive 12 new vessels, alongside additional
aviation and land-based vehicles later this year. He insisted that the fleet
has been "successfully completing all the tasks set for it" during
the invasion, Russia's Tass news agency reported. But on Wednesday, UK defence
officials said that the Kremlin's plans have been "undermined" by the
navy's failure to assume full control over the Black Sea. The Black Sea fleet
has generally pursued an "extremely defensive" position and remained
near the Crimean coast, they said.
^ This is
awesome news! For once the Russians are fleeing scared from bombs, drones and
missiles. ^
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