Black Sea as a water area of the new war
The official goal of the joint exercises of Georgia and NATO that took place on April 5-6 was to increase the level of compatibility and interaction of the coast guard of Georgia with the naval forces of the NATO bloc. On the part of the North Atlantic Alliance, there was a “hodgepodge” of the military courts of Romania, Turkey, the Netherlands and Bulgaria. The Georgian fleet was represented by the coast guard boats P-23 Ochamchir and P-25 Dioskuria. Georgia has neither the means nor the skills for its own shipbuilding, so you have to be content with used boats of the US Navy WPB 1340 Jefferson Island and WPB 1345 Staten Island. The main naval maneuvers, during which the skills of boarding were practiced, was the Dutch air defense frigate HNLMS "Evertsen".
Dutch air defense frigate HNLMS "Evertsen"
Georgian coast guard boats Р-23 Ochamchir and Р-25 Dioskuria
Maneuvers were not the last. Since April 5, NATO has already conducted exercises with the Ukrainian Navy, adding to them a grouping of ships, numbering a total of 2200 personnel. These sea games will continue according to plans until April 13 and are one of the stages of escalating the situation before the upcoming second round of elections in Ukraine. NATO in the person of Jens Stoltenberg has long announced the main goal of building up a naval group in the Black Sea - raising awareness of the situation in the water area and providing moral and technical support to the "fraternal" fleets of Georgia and Ukraine. In addition, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Alliance, in early April pointed out the readiness of a package of measures aimed at unhindered passage of Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea. The mechanism of this “provision” of the passage is still not fully understood. In the case of direct escort of Ukrainian ships, the chances of serious incidents with the Russian Navy sharply increase. And with US Navy ships, their hands are generally tied with the Montreux Convention of 1936, which prohibits "non-native" warships from being in the Black Sea for more than 21 days. The total tonnage of such compounds is also limited to no more than 30 thousand tons. Actually, such a group is very comfortable for the powerful Black Sea fleet Russia, and it should not cause him any special problems. Therefore, NATO also has to get out, sending the Black Sea flotillas of Bulgaria and Romania, which cannot be called serious players, to the exercises. It is more complicated with Turkey - its fleet is more powerful, but neither NATO, nor even the USA can rely on Erdogan’s shaky devotion.
However, 28 in March, a group of NATO ships entered the Black Sea through the Bosphorus, including the Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto (Halifax type), the Spanish frigate ESPS "Santa Maria", and the previously mentioned HNLMS "Evertsen" from Holland. The squadron was also joined by the Turkish frigate TCG "Gelibolu", which was the American frigate USS "Reid" (FFG-30) of the class "Oliver Hazard Perry". Already 1 of April, this whole company was in Odessa and at the beginning of the month took part in small maneuvers with the remnants of the Ukrainian fleet. Pre-ships visited the Danube Giurgiulesti in Moldova, where the locals met the NATO sailors very cordially. A visit to the port, by the way, was the first in stories NATO.
Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto
The situation in the Black Sea will obviously remain: NATO ships will continue to cruise off the Russian coast as part of the rotation. What steps is Russia taking in response to this? Firstly, the NATO group is under constant surveillance of the new naval ships Ivan Khurs and Vasily Bykov.
Patrol ship "Vasily Bykov"
Intelligence "Ivan Hurs"
This is the first line of defense - it is their silhouettes that the opposite side of the sailors see through binoculars. "Ivan Khurs" is an average reconnaissance communications vehicle and the first in a series of ships of the 18280 project. The vessel is designed to provide communications and fleet management, radio intelligence and electronic warfare. "Hurs" is able to monitor the work of onboard air defense systems of NATO ships, as well as, if necessary, to jam their electronic equipment. The patrol "Vasily Bykov" of the 22160 project serves in this pair as a power support due to the presence on board of the launcher of the Caliber-NKE cruise missiles. In addition, the Bulls has a Ka-27 helicopter on deck. Secondly, the Black Sea Fleet together with the FSB border service organizes exercises aimed at repelling the aggression of the NATO squadron in the area of the Crimean Bridge and the Kerch Strait. The program includes artillery firing and air strikes against surface targets. Practicing the skills of seizure of violating vessels by special forces using boarding methods and landing. In early April, a large-scale training alert was announced in the land units of the Southern Military District and the coastal units of the Black Sea Fleet. In response to the start of the April 12 8 exercises of the NATO naval group Sea Shield 2019 (“Sea Shield”), the coastal defense divisions “Ball” and “Bastion” are on high alert. Officially, the NATO members, these maneuvers indicate how long planned and in no way connected with the elections in Ukraine. However, in the “Square” itself they say that the squadron will stay in the Black Sea until the end of the elections, and maybe even longer.
In the event that the Black Sea nevertheless becomes the water area of a new conflict, Russia has every chance of getting out of it as a winner. No country in the region has enough power comparable to the Black Sea Fleet. Not less than 6 frigates, 6 submarines with Caliber cruise missiles, as well as 8 missile boats with Termit and Mosquito anti-ship missiles. In addition, several landing ships and 8 anti-submarine ships. Ukraine possesses of serious weapons only the Hetman Sagaidachny frigate, and one missile boat of the Priluki 206MR project without missiles.
Turkish frigate TCG "Gelibolu"
Only Turkey can theoretically oppose our fleet with something: 13 submarines, 16 frigates, 8 corvettes and 16 missile boats. But Erdogan is now hard to call a close friend of the United States and NATO, so the Turkish fleet will rather formally fulfill the duties assigned to him by the Alliance and will not provoke Russia. In addition, all ships that wish to go through the Bosphorus should notify Turkey of this in 15 days, which allows the Russian Navy to win a lot of time. The 4 frigate and 2 corvette are the main forces of the Bulgarian Navy, which puts them in a number of auxiliary squadrons in the event of a big war. Romania has a little more - the 4 frigate and 6 corvettes with a small handful of missile boats and minesweepers. Actually, for a full-fledged unwinding of the conflict, which could force Russia to make room in the Black Sea, it is necessary, at a minimum, to revise international treaties of almost a century ago. And there is no sanction for NATO countries here.
Based on:
ng.ru
kommersant.ru
korabli.eu
Dutch air defense frigate HNLMS "Evertsen"
Georgian coast guard boats Р-23 Ochamchir and Р-25 Dioskuria
Maneuvers were not the last. Since April 5, NATO has already conducted exercises with the Ukrainian Navy, adding to them a grouping of ships, numbering a total of 2200 personnel. These sea games will continue according to plans until April 13 and are one of the stages of escalating the situation before the upcoming second round of elections in Ukraine. NATO in the person of Jens Stoltenberg has long announced the main goal of building up a naval group in the Black Sea - raising awareness of the situation in the water area and providing moral and technical support to the "fraternal" fleets of Georgia and Ukraine. In addition, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Alliance, in early April pointed out the readiness of a package of measures aimed at unhindered passage of Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea. The mechanism of this “provision” of the passage is still not fully understood. In the case of direct escort of Ukrainian ships, the chances of serious incidents with the Russian Navy sharply increase. And with US Navy ships, their hands are generally tied with the Montreux Convention of 1936, which prohibits "non-native" warships from being in the Black Sea for more than 21 days. The total tonnage of such compounds is also limited to no more than 30 thousand tons. Actually, such a group is very comfortable for the powerful Black Sea fleet Russia, and it should not cause him any special problems. Therefore, NATO also has to get out, sending the Black Sea flotillas of Bulgaria and Romania, which cannot be called serious players, to the exercises. It is more complicated with Turkey - its fleet is more powerful, but neither NATO, nor even the USA can rely on Erdogan’s shaky devotion.
However, 28 in March, a group of NATO ships entered the Black Sea through the Bosphorus, including the Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto (Halifax type), the Spanish frigate ESPS "Santa Maria", and the previously mentioned HNLMS "Evertsen" from Holland. The squadron was also joined by the Turkish frigate TCG "Gelibolu", which was the American frigate USS "Reid" (FFG-30) of the class "Oliver Hazard Perry". Already 1 of April, this whole company was in Odessa and at the beginning of the month took part in small maneuvers with the remnants of the Ukrainian fleet. Pre-ships visited the Danube Giurgiulesti in Moldova, where the locals met the NATO sailors very cordially. A visit to the port, by the way, was the first in stories NATO.
Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto
The situation in the Black Sea will obviously remain: NATO ships will continue to cruise off the Russian coast as part of the rotation. What steps is Russia taking in response to this? Firstly, the NATO group is under constant surveillance of the new naval ships Ivan Khurs and Vasily Bykov.
Patrol ship "Vasily Bykov"
Intelligence "Ivan Hurs"
This is the first line of defense - it is their silhouettes that the opposite side of the sailors see through binoculars. "Ivan Khurs" is an average reconnaissance communications vehicle and the first in a series of ships of the 18280 project. The vessel is designed to provide communications and fleet management, radio intelligence and electronic warfare. "Hurs" is able to monitor the work of onboard air defense systems of NATO ships, as well as, if necessary, to jam their electronic equipment. The patrol "Vasily Bykov" of the 22160 project serves in this pair as a power support due to the presence on board of the launcher of the Caliber-NKE cruise missiles. In addition, the Bulls has a Ka-27 helicopter on deck. Secondly, the Black Sea Fleet together with the FSB border service organizes exercises aimed at repelling the aggression of the NATO squadron in the area of the Crimean Bridge and the Kerch Strait. The program includes artillery firing and air strikes against surface targets. Practicing the skills of seizure of violating vessels by special forces using boarding methods and landing. In early April, a large-scale training alert was announced in the land units of the Southern Military District and the coastal units of the Black Sea Fleet. In response to the start of the April 12 8 exercises of the NATO naval group Sea Shield 2019 (“Sea Shield”), the coastal defense divisions “Ball” and “Bastion” are on high alert. Officially, the NATO members, these maneuvers indicate how long planned and in no way connected with the elections in Ukraine. However, in the “Square” itself they say that the squadron will stay in the Black Sea until the end of the elections, and maybe even longer.
In the event that the Black Sea nevertheless becomes the water area of a new conflict, Russia has every chance of getting out of it as a winner. No country in the region has enough power comparable to the Black Sea Fleet. Not less than 6 frigates, 6 submarines with Caliber cruise missiles, as well as 8 missile boats with Termit and Mosquito anti-ship missiles. In addition, several landing ships and 8 anti-submarine ships. Ukraine possesses of serious weapons only the Hetman Sagaidachny frigate, and one missile boat of the Priluki 206MR project without missiles.
Turkish frigate TCG "Gelibolu"
Only Turkey can theoretically oppose our fleet with something: 13 submarines, 16 frigates, 8 corvettes and 16 missile boats. But Erdogan is now hard to call a close friend of the United States and NATO, so the Turkish fleet will rather formally fulfill the duties assigned to him by the Alliance and will not provoke Russia. In addition, all ships that wish to go through the Bosphorus should notify Turkey of this in 15 days, which allows the Russian Navy to win a lot of time. The 4 frigate and 2 corvette are the main forces of the Bulgarian Navy, which puts them in a number of auxiliary squadrons in the event of a big war. Romania has a little more - the 4 frigate and 6 corvettes with a small handful of missile boats and minesweepers. Actually, for a full-fledged unwinding of the conflict, which could force Russia to make room in the Black Sea, it is necessary, at a minimum, to revise international treaties of almost a century ago. And there is no sanction for NATO countries here.
Based on:
ng.ru
kommersant.ru
korabli.eu
Information