Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I think we're lost Sergei. There's no signs to Moscow anywhere down here.

Ukraine are giving a masterclass in controlling the war narrative. No one believes a word the Russian say. I have absolutely no idea what losses the Ukrainian army has shipped, as they haven’t said and Russians you just can’t believe. I’d think that the average Russian soldier is not too motivated by this war. I doubt they believe they are de-nazifying Ukraine. Russia may have better results where the local populations are more native Russians but elsewhere in Ukraine they are stuffed. The most important act in the whole war to date has been the president remaining in Kiev. I don’t think that can be overestimated in importance as compared to fleeing to safety.

Can't wait to get this model kit

Also reports that it had many dozen armored vehicles and tanks onboard for assault landing at Odessa. I read somewhere when I was at work earlier that a Romanian vessel saved about 70 crew. I think there is many dead form this in the hundreds I would believe.

Russia can forget about making assault by sea on Odessa the will have to do it by land and at the moment the are nowhere of achieving it.

Today the propaganda from Russia on the sinking has been laughable to say the least I was waiting to read that they would blame the sinking on Godzilla just to get a swipe at Japan.

Where did you hear that

This make me think of its defensive systems. It it possible(likely?) that some of their defensive systems were switched off or not in full working order at least. Just given the state of some of the equipment they've thrown into the conflict so far I wouldn't be surprised. No doubt maintenance money went missing somewhere. I'd be worried if I was now on any other rickety Russian vessel near Ukrainian shores. No wonder they didn't want to face off with the Irish fishermen. You can sort of understand the lie if it is for their own sailors ears. Can't be letting them know their invincibility cloaks aren't working.

My impression of the Russian societal hierarchy is that military men are down the pecking somewhat compared to other states. Having seen the dressing downs and disrespect thrown at some military men on Russian state TV they just don't seem to have the standing one would expect. Perhaps by Putin's design as the likelihood of a military led coup I would think is close to nil. The navy may rank a little higher, I'm not sure. Someone may have more input on that.

Wait, what? I have serious doubts about that, to be honest. Troops sure, but I can't fathom where they would have the deck space to carry more than a handful of vehicles of any type without impeding the operational capability of the ship. If you look at this image, you'll see that every free bit of deck space is utilised for one weapons system or another, from the helicopter flight deck right aft to the twin 130mm gun at the bow.

Just going what I read here. Is it possible that vehicles can be stored below deck do you know.

Not on a ship like that, it isn't. The entire battery of anti-aircraft missiles is housed in vertical launch systems that go down several decks and take up quite a lot of space in the hull, the different radars require significant space for signal processing equipment etc, there are magazines for the guns, the two quintuple torpedo launchers as well as for the helicopter and so on. Granted, there is a precedent for using cruisers and the like as landing ships, the Germans did it when they invaded Norway, and had their most modern cruiser, "Blücher", blown up by Oscarsborg fortress in the process. However, in such cases, the cruisers only transported the soldiers whilst the heavy equipment was brought in by dedicated transports.

I also think you slightly misread the ITV article. Whoever wrote that article must have done so under the influence, but the ship they're referring to as being able to carry "20 tanks, 45 armoured vehicles and 400 troops" is the landing transport Orsk, which was sunk in Berdyansk harbour back in March.

Has it been documented they are not interested any more and have stopped (honest question)?

If they're still "messaging" the West (esp. Europe) it would be different I imagine, less directly focussed on the war itself (no point in that).

Demoralisation and division re the sanctions/economic pain, refugee flows etc., boosting their creatures and friends who might be in with a shout at getting elected somewhere (e.g. Le Pen) and as always focussing on what's appealing to + will rile up the "independent thinker" types at political extremes they have cultivated for years.

Well I bloody well hope so!

My German Navy friends view on the ship for any who is interested, great moral victory for sure but more ships still capable of causing damage is my reading of it. Still a great day for Ukraine though

" I think it's going to be quite expensive to replace that old soviet junk. Especially becaus €500,000,000 currently are worth 450,737,099,685,816. Rubles.

Well, I saw this unit once off Cyprus, at sea. Impressive! Unfortunately, albeit a weapon-wielding colossus that caused much misery in port cities like Odessa, due to the sheer masses of Russian ships yet to be sunk in the Black Sea, it is primarily a impressive, moral success for the Ukrainians"

He was going to go into battleship repair but that's now gone south! Hopefully the f****r is drawing the dole in Clane at this stage.

Can anyone explain to me why the US were helping the orcs with the 'shes afloat and under her own steam and has safely reached port' BS narrative? The US were claiming their intelligence showed damage but that it was afloat and steaming back to port one minute, and Moscow was admitting it had sunk in a storm minutes later.

I don't think for a minute US intelligence was lacking, so why the very big lie?