4 August, the British Star Star tabloid published an article written by Henry Holloway with the loud title “Vladimir Putin’s new destroyer equipped with laser guns will be more powerful than any NATO ship.” There is also an equally interesting subtitle: "Vladimir Putin is bragging about Russia's military power, revealing plans for a promising warship".
Such bold theses, as well as subsequent statements by a foreign author, are primarily related to the nature of the publication, which should be classified as tabloid. Nevertheless, the publication of even such newspapers may be of interest from certain points of view. First of all, for the reason that the tabloid press seeks loud statements that meet the needs of its readers in one way or another.
Mr. Holloway writes that the president of Russia wants to rule the seas. Therefore, plans were published concerning the construction of a new, inconspicuous destroyer with a nuclear power plant. The new ship received the designation "Leader". A ship with a nuclear reactor on board will have a displacement of 17,5 thousand tons, literally bristling with various missiles, and also be able to move around the entire World Ocean quickly and unnoticed.
Referring to the Russian news agency TASS, the author of the publication Daily Star writes that a completely new will be installed on the promising "Leader" weapon in the form of laser installations or electromagnetic tools. The use of such systems will help the use of a nuclear reactor that generates enough electricity.
With the mention of some unnamed military analysts, it is argued that the newest Russian warship of the "space age" in terms of weapons and firepower will be superior to any competitors from NATO countries.
Mr. Holloway recalls that the rearmament of the Russian army should cost the country the equivalent of 244 billion pounds. In addition, V. Putin is investing 1,4 trillion pounds in advanced research and development of new technologies. A ship and submarine construction program for the Navy is also being developed and implemented. fleet. According to the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, during 2016, the shipbuilding industry must transfer to the Navy ships, ships and submarines of various classes and types in the amount of 43 units.
As a confirmation of his words about the Leader project, the British journalist cites the words of American military analyst Dave Majumdar, who is famous for his publications in various publications. The American expert suggests that the ability of the Russian industry to build ships of the type “Leader” in the current economic situation will have unpleasant consequences. In this case, we should expect that the new Russian destroyers will be armed better than any large surface ship of the US Navy.
According to G. Holloway, by the year 2019 the Russian Ministry of Defense intends to complete the development of the project, after which the industry will start building a new type of ship.
The British author calls the “new destroyer of the Kremlin” just the latest and latest development at the moment, which appeared during the new arms race. The latter, in his opinion, takes place against the backdrop of a deteriorating international situation and in anticipation of a hypothetical Third World War. The starting point of current events, manifested in the deterioration of relations between NATO and Russia, the author Daily Star calls the "annexation of the Crimea."
It is noted that there are already some factors that warn of possible risks. Thus, Russia has an almost imperceptible, albeit small, fleet of modern submarines. The appearance of data on such a component of the Navy was a cause for concern for the NATO command. It turned out that the anti-submarine defense systems of the North Atlantic alliance no longer correspond to the existing threats.
Also, foreign experts, not named by G. Holloway, declare that the Kremlin has the means and the will to start a full-scale conflict at any time, literally the next night. It will take only a few hours to deploy a full-fledged attack on Eastern Europe.
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Like other editions of its category, the Daily Star newspaper has a number of special features. First of all, it is indomitable craving for a wide variety of sensations in various fields. As a result, the authors of the publication pay special attention to the lives of celebrities, various scandals and other "fried topics". For some time now, the events in the international arena have become relevant to the latter.
At present, there is a shaft of publications devoted to a certain “Russian threat” in the foreign press. In some states, such assumptions and fears even reach the point of discussion by the authorities with corresponding consequences. It is quite clear that the tabloid press can not stand aside and also tries to take advantage of current topics that enjoy a certain popularity.
The result of such attempts to fight for the rating are publications like the recent “Putin Putin’s destroyer armed with LASER cannons will 'outgun every NATO vessel'”. In turn, the neighborhood of the military-political "analytics" with gossip, etc. Topical topics attached to new articles are very interesting, and also affects their perception.
In this case, it is necessary to note that the “Leader” project in the case of the recent publication of the Daily Star publication was just another reason for a relevant article that meets the current requirements of the time. Some information about the technical side of the project is given, then suggestions are made, and in the final of the article there are frightening foreign readers theses about the evil plans of the Russian leadership, which at any time can start a war.
Unfortunately, articles with similar theses are currently the norm for foreign media. The press in pursuit of ratings seeks not only to simply touch on “hot” topics, but also to do it by appropriate methods. For example, the situation is viewed from the most frightening point of view, and in the end it leads to terrible conclusions about the reality of the threat and the risks associated with it. As a result, new publications frighten the reader, as well as promote opinions that are popular among the authorities. At the same time, one can hardly expect that when pursuing such goals, newspapers will maintain objectivity.
And yet it should be noted that the title of the article by G. Holloway has a realistic thesis. According to reports, the promising Russian destroyer project 23560 "Leader" can really be at least one of the most powerful warships in the world. It is known that the destroyer will have a displacement of 17,5 thousand tons and in this regard will receive a nuclear power plant capable of providing high performance. The Leader’s armament complex will consist of universal launchers that will allow it to transport several types of missiles up to 60, designed to solve various combat missions. It is expected to use an advanced air defense system, which will include several systems for various purposes.
Thus, a promising Russian ship in its main characteristics can indeed surpass the main competitors of foreign production. This means that in the article for the Daily Star newspaper, there were still realistic assessments of the current situation. At the same time, the expected superiority of the Russian ship over the foreign ones is considered not in the context of the development of technologies and the navy, but as one of the factors that reinforce the hypothetical Russian threat. Nevertheless, for the tabloid press this is a variant of the norm and it is hardly worth expecting anything else from it.
The article "Vladimir Putin's new destroyer armed with LASER cannons will 'outgun every NATO vessel'":
http://dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/535227/Russia-Vladimir-Putin-Navy-Leader-Destroyer-Laser-Guns-NATO-Outgunned-World-War-3