By Free Republic | Created at 2024-09-23 15:37:46 | Updated at 2024-09-30 13:27:27
6 days ago
The Kremlin Pulled Sailors Off The Decrepit Aircraft Carrier ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ And Sent Them To Fight, And Die, In Ukraine
Forbes ^ | 9/23/2024 | David Axe
Posted on 09/23/2024 8:33:37 AM PDT by Alter Kaker
The aging, damaged ‘Kuznetsov’ is unlikely to deploy ever again.
Admiral Kuznetsov, the Russian navy’s only aircraft carrier, hasn’t deployed in eight years—and it’s increasingly unlikely it will ever deploy again. That helps explain why, in recent months, the Kremlin reportedly reassigned the aging ship’s sailors to the army—and sent them into battle in Ukraine.
It’s a startling revelation that underscores the Russian army’s manpower crisis as Russia’s wider war on Ukraine grinds toward its 31st month—and also underlines the decrepit state of the Russian navy’s biggest warships, most of which are Cold War leftovers.
Open-source analyst Moklasen first reported the reassignment of some of the 58,000-ton Kuznetsov’s approximately 1,500-person crew. The sailors formed a so-called “frigate” mechanized battalion within the 1st Guards Tank Army, Moklasen concluded after scouring Russian social media for clues.
The frigate battalion fought around Kharkiv in northern Ukraine before shifting to the Pokrovsk axis in the east. Moklasen surmised that at least one former carrier crewman, Oleg Sosedov, went missing during a Russian attack in Kharkiv on July 23.
That the Russians are apparently pulling people from Kuznetsov isn’t surprising. The Kremlin is taking extreme measures to mobilize the 30,000 fresh troops it needs every month just to replace battlefield losses—killed, wounded and captured—in Ukraine.
The alternative to, say, stripping away ship’s crews might be a nationwide draft, which would be politically risky for the regime of Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin.
And besides, the rickety Kuznetsov isn’t about to return to sea. The 39-year-old flattop was supposed to leave the port of Murmansk, in northern Russia, back in the spring for the first time in eight years. Instead, the carrier remains pierside in Murmansk, in northern Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
TOPICS: News/Current Events; Russia; Ukraine
KEYWORDS: russia; ukraine
1 posted on 09/23/2024 8:33:37 AM PDT by Alter Kaker
To: Alter Kaker
Daily Mail says the are equipped with the latest shovels, and pickle jars.
2 posted on 09/23/2024 8:36:11 AM PDT by PGR88
To: Alter Kaker
“The one with the rifle shoots. The one without, follows him! When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!”
3 posted on 09/23/2024 8:37:23 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson
