... called on Vladivostok on the Russian Navy Day.
These are Russian-built Gepard-class corvettes (pr. 11661)--nice looking ships and well armed as well.
Russian Navy has two of them, Vietnam has four. The only difference for Russia is that her latest ship of this class (Dagestan) has VLS and is capable of carrying Kalibr missiles. They call them frigates, actually, albeit, I think, it is a "transitional" class of ships which never really took off in Russia but is a good export item, especially in Dagestan configuration, which also carries a very respectable air-defense suite. Nice ships, and I am sure Vietnam has plans on acquiring other two, even more advanced Gepards despite sanctions on Russia. We'll see how it unfolds. Vietnam mulls her membership in SCO, and if she manages to avoid highly pro-American "youth" troubles, ascending to BRICS and, eventually, to SCO will automatically resolve the issue.
... celebrating Navy Day and here is the second part (in Russian) of Military Acceptance with focus on pr. 885 Kazan SSGN.
In relation to which it is worth reminding on the tempo of introduction of subs of this class into the fleet.
And this is just in relation to this extremely advanced and deadly type. Here is also yesterday's photo from parade in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky...
Here is the first of six pr. 20385 Gremyashchiy corvettes for the Pacific Fleet. All 3M22 Zircon carriers. And the tempo of introduction of new ships and subs only increases. Look at the tempo for pr. 955(A) Borei-class SSBNs...
And pr. 545 Husky submarine platform is coming early 2030. So, once you put together everything across all classes of ships and submarines (mind you--Russia owns and builds massive fleet of Diesel-Electric subs) you see yourself a dramatic picture of the best sea-bases nuclear deterrent and Sea Denial force with incredible strike and air-defense arsenal. So, Russian Navy had a lot to celebrate yesterday.
This was a broadcast across all four fleets and one flotilla:
And do not forget that Russian Navy operates massive BRAV (Coastal Artillery and Missile Troops) and its own air component. So, as you might expect there was a lot of BS from 404 trolls and other Western fanboys who watched too much Hollywood. Butt-hurt is really bad...
As Larch already provided in other thread some summary on the new Russian Maritime (Морская) Doctrine--it is not just Naval, it is broader--it is geopolitical. Some already called it a challenge to the US Navy. While you can see English summary of new Doctrine in Larch's post here, it has to be stated clearly that Russian Navy was always a challenger to the US Navy based on a simple principle, with the exception of utterly catastrophic 1990s, that it was a Sea Denial force designed specifically to remove naval threats from Russia's shores and this task remains the core of Russian Navy's mission. Five years ago I wrote for the US Naval Institute:
Well, the coherence finally was provided today in new Doctrine. It is based on two fundamental pillars which, naturally, have been overlooked in the West:
1. Revelations of the real size and scope of Russian economy, which, as it turned out (surprise-surprise), is huge and immensely influential globally;
2. Real Revolution of Military Affairs, which provided truly revolutionary weapon systems which changed the fate of classic carrier-centric navies. FYI, 3M22 Zircon starts it serial procurement to first line surface ships of Russian Navy this September.
I want to remind you, again, this:
This is the reality of a missile salvo at the range of P-800 Onyx, or of HALF the range of 3M22 Zircon against any CBG. In other worlds, the perspective Russian carriers will out-range any US CBG by missile weapons alone, not to speak of airwings.
The change of the tone of the new Doctrine is not surprising, however, the time of co-existence with declining and aggressive West is over--massive geopolitical realignment with severe military ramifications is here and it is enough to take a look at SMO. The events such as outbursts of the so called Norwegin "diplomat" in Murmansk hotel a few days ago, or Ann Coulter exhibiting a very good level of awareness and putting this uneducated moron Pierce Morgan into his place yesterday are just some private cases of a larger trend on reality hitting home and biting ass.
This is just an infinitesimally small portion of moods and thoughts of people who, unlike most Western journos, didn't lose their brains. This IS the new brave world and priorities change, as it should be. Even earlier, 9 years ago, I wrote for USNI Proceedings.
Read it attentively, in 2013 when I was writing this, I gave the "cut out" time for 2020. Meaning Russia's economy recovering and restructuring and a new generation of ships and weapon systems getting ready by that time. Indeed, in 2022 the decision to turn Russian Navy into a truly Blue Water global navy has been made and the doctrinal fog has been dissipated.
Per this attack on the HQ of the Black Sea Fleet, as was totally expected, it was a local job with some small drone. It has nothing to do with Air Defense but with classic terrorist-diversionary activity of local element being either SBU assets or simply fanatical Russophobes--there are many of such people in Russia. Plus, NATO "advisers" are only good for training specifically terrorists but this is the field of responsibility for FSB and MVD. The only effect was 6 slightly wounded personnel and cancellation of celebration of Navy Day in Sevastopol.
Those shitstorm corvettes evidently ARE fully capable of carrying a container Kalibr family missiles, so Russians may get further in their version of LCS it seems. Those in the know say the ships are really good. So, this is your primer for Sunday.
It was like watching a runaway train diving into the abyss from the track which abruptly ends over the precipice in slow motion. It was clear already around 2007-08 that the United States was on its way to lose yet another war.
Who would have thought that it will turn out this way, right? I am being facetious, of course. Anyone with IQ above room temperature knew already then that a major clusterfuck was emerging in Afghanistan. It matters, also, how you leave, in what manner. Russia's 201 Military Base in Tajikistan is a serious military formation, which can call on whatever reinforcements it may need and I am sure Tajikistan will have little objections. In 2017 Russia already transferred to Tajik Army a substantial number of modern equipment.
And the very presence of a powerful Russian military formation is in itself a substantial morale-boosting factor for Tajikistan. Such as Russian gunnery exercises yesterday.
We may, of course, debate until hell freezes over, how bad is the situation for the United States which effectively run from Afghanistan which collapses as I type it and Kabul's regime is counting last weeks, most likely, until it falls. Some people, like former Senator Ron Paul call it a new Saigon.
Maybe. It was the only modern American war I personally supported, until 2003 when it became clear that it was not about fighting Islamic terrorism, the United States so enthusiastically helped to grow into a global movement in 1970s and 80s. Well, you all know the circumstances. Until Afghanistan is broken into ethnic enclaves and majority of Pushtu are separated from others, which implies partition of that country, things will continue to deteriorate there. So, here we are, $2 trillion and thousands upon thousands of lives later, Afghanistan is to become a playground for the most radical forms of insanity. I am sure there will be, later, yet another iterations of "Dereliction of Duty 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0" written by some disgruntled American officer who would continue to believe that the war in Afghanistan, as well as in Vietnam and Iraq, "could have been won", if only America would... stop being America and become something completely different in terms of how it fights wars and conducts her foreign policy. Sure, and I could fly if I would have been a Superman.
The damage to the America's always PR-polished and exaggerated reputation is gigantic and we may yet fully grasp ramifications of this hasty (yes, let's call it that) "retreat" from Afghanistan. Obviously, the school of thought that the United States wanted to set Afghanistan on fire to lure Russia into it, is wrong on many levels when states this because Russia is not Soviet Union and she is not getting back to Afghanistan, to start with. Today Russia has proxies--Tajiks, Uzbeks etc. Those peoples and their, however corrupt, governments do not want to be run by Taliban. So, let them fight if it comes down to it. But, I think, purely militarily Russia is in a good position to provide required assistance without getting involved by serious formations or serious expenditure of own resources. They already run to Moscow. Hm, and I thought they didn't like Russians, wink, wink. Look how Emomali Rahmon loves Putin and recalls Soviet past and common Victory over Nazism on May 8th this year.
Of course, Vladimir Vladimirovich offered help to Tajikistan. But Russia of 2021 and Russia of 2001 are two completely different countries and Russians developed now a good practice of "what's in it for me?" Many former Soviet republics suddenly found themselves in an uncharted territory of begging Russia for whatever they want or need. Hey, nothing personal, just business. After all, it is capitalism and market geopolitics. They don't like Russia's conditions they can go and ask the United States for...ah, wait, yes. So, you get the idea. Actually, same goes for Belarus or anyone else from the former USSR.
In other news, the Russian Navy Day is coming (the last weekend of July) and, what a show it will be--not only project 971 SSNs Vepr and modernized pr. 949AM Orel (with its monstrous salvo of 72 P-800 Oniks) will be in line for the main naval parade in Kronstadt--but, as TASS reports (in Russian), pr. 955A (Borey-A) SSBN Prince Vladimir will also be presented. That is a treat.
All three subs are now sailing from the North into the Baltic Sea. Expect some awesome videos from Denmark. Fuck COVID-19, I could have been in St. Petersburg and Kronstadt this July getting drunk with my friends and classmates and taking some photos, or, rather, the other way around--taking photos and then getting drunk, if you know what I mean. But...
Yvonne Lorenzo sent me the link to The Nation article about this whole Russiagate debacle. I wrote many times that West has larger issue with Russia than merely difference of policies. It is racial at the political top. So, here is summary, of sorts, of the "ideas" about Russia and Russians many exercise in the US.
It is always funny to read about "values" and "ideals"--if that "way of life" continues, the end-result will be precisely total elimination of everything of true value combined West ever produced with the US Constitution being shredded to pieces. Ah, wait, I forgot--these are the thoughts of people who are directly involved in criminal coup attempt, which by definition is anti-constitutional and violates this very same "way of life" these people allegedly try to protect. One has to have, of course, appreciation of their fever-pitch hatred of Russians and, what matters here, this is not a private, an exception that is, attitude. It is not a secret that very large strata of US policy-makers is afflicted by Russophobia. A large part of this Russophobia, apart from being racial--you know, dirty Slavs and all that jazz--is very much a suppressed complex of inferiority. Throughout all 20th and 21st century not only Russia presented itself as an inconvenient impediment to America-the-savior-of-humanity narrative, but Russia remains the only nation which can remove the United States from the map and can conventionally defeat any combination of forces the United States can assemble. This simple fact makes many in US "elite", which is largely ignorant on the issues of real war, very uncomfortable.
As Graham Allison, a political "scientist" (that is to say a man who has no real scientific education), the author of stupid in its triviality "concept" of Thucydides Gap, formulated it:
There is, of course, a very funny point in this Allison's lament, which really makes his bloviation on this Thucydides Gap nothing more than incomprehensible and self-contradictory demagoguery, so characteristic of current American "intellectual" class. But it merely adds to a spectrum of high class, cultured and incisive thoughts on Russia produced in the deep recesses of American political "science" parallel universe. Nah, I am being facetious--most of this class doesn't have the mastery of the subjects involved: be that Russia, warfare, power or history. Speaking of which--Russia celebrates today Navy Day. "Cheating savages" rolled out some hardware which already packs a very good salvo of high-supersonic missiles and, in the nearest future, will be carrying 3M22 Zircons, which basically add to the flame of Russia hatred among exceptionalist crowd in D.C.
Nowadays, participation of PLANs, Indian or Vietnamese Navy's ships in Russian Naval parades has become a routine and a good demonstration of increasing consolidation of Eurasian security architecture. Like this latest joint air patrol by Russia and China, with China buying yet another batch of S-400s and, rumor has it, another batch of SU-35s (this one--SU-35--is yet to be confirmed). Obviously, Turkey willing to take part in commercial aircraft programs of Russia (in Russian) will only add to the Russia-related anxiety of the American "elites". So, to ease this anxiety Russia kicked Atlantic Council out of Russia--a long overdue decision. Those creeps do not operate in reality anyway and are good only for collection of information (aka spying) from Russia's "dissidents" (a euphemism for Russophobes) and for writing stupid amateurish narratives, none of which is ever based in...well...reality.
It is the last weekend of July and, as tradition goes, it is Navy Day in Russia. It was celebrated on all 4 Fleets (including snafu in Sevastopol with URPK's dummy launch) and Caspian Flotilla. Celebration in Baltyisk (the main base of Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet) was marked by the visit of Putin and a bad weather. They still did produce some bang for a buck (or, rather, for free) and all this showmanship for public, but most important things were happening on board of the newest Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov (project 22350) and were hidden from the eyes of general public.
There, on board of Russia's latest frigate, new Naval Doctrine was announced. Well, it is not really a doctrine, nor is it purely naval, but for a government run by journalists (Rogozin) or Civilian Engineers (Shoigu) the latest "edition" of the Foundation of the Marine Policy had some very important points. Those who can read (speak) Russian can find them here:
Most important of those points is, finally, recognition of a simple fact that full independence from foreign technologies in shipbuilding industry is a must. This, plus, of course, recognition of NATO as a main threat to Russia's national interests. This alone signals a massive shift from "re-integration" with Europe to a completely independent maritime policy, which will, inevitably, lead to a development of both green water naval capabilities and, eventual, emergence of blue water capabilities which would lead to a global Sea Denial Force--what this author was calling for years. The more things change, the more they stay the same........
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