Expert On Destruction Of Caesar Kunikov: Russians Should Better Head Off Into Caspian Sea

This is the only place where their ships can feel safe.

On the morning of February 14, drones of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine hit the Russian large landing ship Caesar Kunikov in the Black Sea.

Ukrainian military-political observer of the Information Resistance group Oleksandr Kovalenko, in an interview with the Charter97.org website, told what is known about this ship and what the future awaits the Russian fleet in the Black Sea:

— First of all, it is worth noting that the Russians cannot build it. This is a large landing ship of Project 775, which back in the days of the Soviet Union was built not on the territory of Russia, but in Gdansk, Poland. The Russian Federation today cannot build ships of this type, although it really needs just such ships with a total displacement of 4 thousand tons.

On the one hand, Russia really needs them, on the other, these ships are problematic. If repair work is necessary, you need to contact Poland; the Russians cannot carry out deep repair work on their own. Therefore, even damage to such a ship, and not sinking, is a serious problem for the Russians.

At the very beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, these ships were planned as the main unit for landing troops, since such a ship could carry on board up to 12 units of armored vehicles and 340 paratroopers at the minimum. Why the minimum? After all, they can be placed not only in the holds, in the immediate landing compartments, but also in other free space of the landing craft. That is, the landing component can be much larger.

But after the entire amphibious amphibious operation against Ukraine failed in 2022, they were mainly used to transport personnel and cargo to temporarily occupied territories. In 2022, the large landing ship Saratov was sunk near Berdyansk, and two Project 775 ships, among which was the Caesar Kunikov, were damaged, but lightly enough, then it was able to continue service.

— What does the Russian World Cup look like today after the sinking of this large landing ship?

— Considering the number of ships and the ranks that Russia has in the Black Sea, this is not a fleet, this is a flotilla. This situation says a lot. A country that does not have its own fleet or flotilla wins a naval battle against a country that used to have one of the strongest fleets in the Black Sea.

Now this fleet no longer exists, and it was completely withdrawn from Sevastopol, from the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, and was withdrawn specifically to Novorossiysk. In 2014, Russia began this aggression against Ukraine with the occupation of the peninsula in order to control the Black Sea through Crimea, through Sevastopol, and now it is leaving these positions and fleeing to Novorossiysk. It would seem, why did you start all this? And then smash your head against the wall? OK.

— Can the Russian Federation do anything today to counter Ukrainian attacks on its ships?

— That's the point — they cannot. We see that today Russian methods of countering unmanned surface boats that Ukraine uses are, let’s say, not effective enough. They do not guarantee the safety of one or another surface asset of the Russian flotilla, since a system and functionality to counter these threats have not been developed. Secondly, Russia does not have enough resources, even naval installations, that could counter such attacks.

— What can you say about the future of Russian troops in the Black Sea?

— I’ll say a very simple thing: they need to head off to the Caspian Sea. Novorossiysk is not a salvation for them, since Ukrainian unmanned boats have significantly evolved in their characteristics over the past two years. They now have greater speed, cruising range, a more powerful warhead and more stable communications.

The evolution will continue, all characteristics are constantly improving. Did Russia try to bring its main warships to Novorossiysk? Okay, it did, but they will get them there too. Therefore, I will not be surprised if by the end of 2024 Russia is forced to withdraw its flotilla to the Caspian Sea. This is the only place where they can feel safe.

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