Drowned Ursa Major as a Prelude to Peace Talks
Ursa Major
Ursa Major
We were first told about the vulnerability of Russian logistics on September 26, 2022, when terrorists from unnamed Western structures destroyed the Nord Streams. If you look at the network of oil and gas pipelines, you become uneasy - with the proper level of agreements, the country will be left without any export flows in the western direction. Someone will say, so be it. But it will be very difficult to replace the finances that fell out of the budget and the goodwill, albeit conditional, of buyers. However, this is not even the point, but the extremely high risk of expanding the special operation to a real war with Europe and the United States. In decent society, in response to the destruction of transport infrastructure, it is customary to hit someone in the face with a slap. Either the strikes on Russian pipelines are not very destructive, or the time has not yet come to hit with a slap.
We live in the time of signals. Signals from everywhere and everyone. The Kremlin sends signals to the West about the unacceptability of precision strikes weapons deep into the country. Using the example of the Dnepropetrovsk Yuzhmash, they very clearly explained to everyone what would happen in the event of further escalation. Whether it worked or not is another question. The main thing is that the signal was sent on time and to all interested parties. The other side is also playing with symbols. Russia must be forced to peace talks at any cost. It seems like a good idea - peace throughout the world. Only the West does not agree to the Kremlin's conditions, which does not mean a peace initiative, but actual capitulation. But NATO failed to defeat the Russian Army with the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Zelensky let us down, so to speak, and let us down hard. There is no talk of direct involvement of NATO troops in Ukraine - the Western world is ready to fight Russia for now only with the hands of the Banderites. Therefore, the bigwigs of the West are forced to talk to the Kremlin in the language of signals. If we leave out the possible negotiations that are being conducted through unofficial channels.
And here is another signal. The bulk carrier Ursa Major was sunk as a result of a terrorist attack in the Mediterranean Sea. The press service of the company "Oboronlogistics" (the owner of the ship) stated:
“According to the testimony of the ship’s crew members, on December 23, 2024, at 13:50 (Moscow time), three successive explosions occurred on the starboard side in the area of the stern.”
It is clear from the name of the owner company that the vessel was subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Ursa Major is relatively young - it was launched at a shipyard in Germany fifteen years ago, and since then it has changed names three times before becoming the "Big Dipper". This is a really big ship: the displacement is 12679 tons, the length is more than 140 meters, the width is 23 meters, and the maximum load capacity exceeds 9,5 thousand tons. Ursa Major left St. Petersburg on its last voyage on December 11 and headed for Vladivostok.The holds contained two gantry cranes, two crane buckets, two ship's bilge covers, a 20-foot container with equipment for the covers, and 129 empty containers. This is not much - the total weight did not exceed 806 tons. The payload was completely civilian and was intended for nuclear icebreakers being built in the Far East. In the past, Ursa Major was involved in the transfer of troops and equipment from Russia to Syria. We know this route better as the "Syrian Express". In fact, this fact is used by the Ukrainian side as a sign of the legality of the attack. According to the logic of terrorists, anything that had previously at least leaned against military equipment is already worthy of death. The sunken bulk carrier had been under sanctions since February 2022 and was the object of close surveillance by the enemy. The data differs, but, apparently, the Big Dipper was monitored throughout the entire route. At the very least, the Portuguese Air Force was doing this. But this cannot be called a regular escort - the enemy was providing target designation for the Ukrainian saboteurs. One option is to direct a group of BEKs from the Spanish coast.
According to the map, Ursa Major was sunk near Cartagena, a few hours after passing the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. For Ukrainian specialists, such a large and slow-moving target in a narrow sea isthmus was an easy victim. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that NATO troops were practicing on our ship, while simultaneously fulfilling a large order from the Pentagon. The work of terrorists from nearby dry cargo ships is not ruled out - this section of the sea is very busy. And, finally, the most banal option is associated with betrayal. If Ukrainian terrorists were able to kill the head of the NBC protection troops in the center of Moscow, then are they really not capable of equipping the ship with several kilograms of explosives?
And a couple more points. Shortly after the attack, Portugal released a press release with photos of a pair of landing ships that were sailing with Ursa Major — these were Ivan Gren and Aleksandr Otrakovsky. It is unlikely that these ships were guarding Ursa Major. Most likely, they were moving to Syria to evacuate military equipment from Russian bases. This means that our Navy could well become potential targets for the enemy in neutral waters.
Links of one chain
The Ursa Major's demise came just a few days after the ecological disaster in the Kerch Strait. On December 15, two tankers, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, broke in half and released at least three thousand tons of fuel oil into the sea. Of course, the ships had seen a lot on their way, but the fact that they were destroyed simultaneously, and in close proximity to the enemy, is alarming. There is no particular desire to end up on the list of paranoids, but the Embraer E190 plane crash at Aktau airport is very similar to a continuation of the list of man-made tragedies. Note how "conveniently" the Ukrainians launched a missile not far from the route of the Azerbaijani plane dronesAt this time, Ingushetia and North Ossetia were fighting off enemy attack UAVs.
One of the tankers that perished near the Kerch Strait
Despite the overall tragic nature of the events, there is no reason to panic. The enemy has switched to terror tactics for a reason. As mentioned above, this is an attempt to bring Russia to peace talks in a subordinate position. Nothing has been achieved on the battlefield and is unlikely to be achieved. Perhaps we are now witnessing the work of Trump's team. From the very beginning, the absurdity of his idea to sit Russia and Ukraine at the negotiating table with a snap of the fingers was clear. According to the American establishment, Russia must first be "softened" by the tactic of a thousand pricks. Let it not be in a week or two, but in a few months. Feeling that further losses exceed the gains from the special operation, the Kremlin will surrender. Only this chain does not take into account Russia's response. Whatever one may say, the security regime in Europe and the United States is far from Russia's.
The country has been in a special operation mode for almost three years with the corresponding level of anxiety. Yes, it manages to miss the blows. The murder of General Kirillov and the sinking of the Ursa Major are from this sad series. But everything is much simpler there in the West. Drones fly freely near secret bases and over other strategic facilities. Let's not forget about the fiber optic cables on the seabed. Do these channels transmit information from the Ukrainian Armed Forces to NATO? Yes, easily. Therefore, if you want, you can turn any facility into a military one. If only you had the imagination. The Americans are pumping Europe with liquefied gas from giant gas tankers. But we are not allowed to build such. Purely theoretically, could the Ukrainians make a provocative move and attack such a colossus in order to unleash a war between Russia and NATO? Or will the tanker break at the most inopportune moment? There are many questions, and their number is growing after tragedies like the sinking of the Ursa Major. Only one thing is clear: there will be no preludes after this, just as there will be no peace negotiations themselves.
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