A Russian submarine that just left Cuba appears to be 'falling apart' with its soundproofing panels falling off, analyst says (msn.com)
Ukraine has devastated Russia's Black Sea Fleet without even having a real navy. These are the Russian warships Ukraine has taken out.©STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
- In over two years, Ukrainian forces have devastated Russia's Black Sea fleet.
- In lieu of warships, Ukraine uses unmanned drones and anti-ship missiles to thwart Russia's navy.
- The barrage of attacks forced Russia to shift warships away from a prized naval base in Crimea.
Ukraine has inflicted significant damage on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, wrecking many Russian vessels in over two years of war.
Since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainians have destroyed or damaged roughly half of the Russian fleet's warships, including one submarine, per publicly available information.
Without warships of its own, Ukrainian forces have relied on unmanned maritime drones and long-range anti-ship missiles to hammer Russia's naval forces.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said in a public statement in February that the Russian Navy had about 80 warships at the outset of the war, including large warships, landing ships, submarines, patrol boats, and minesweepers.
"I can say that the Black Sea fleet operations have been greatly complicated, if not paralyzed," Pletenchuk said at the time.
The attacks have allowed Ukraine to resume grain shipments through the Black Sea, which is central to its economy, and forced the Black Sea Fleet to shift warships away from its prized naval homeport in Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula.
Several Russian ships that Ukraine claimed to have destroyed have yet to be fully identified, but reportedly among them are Raptor-class patrol boats, a BK-16 high-speed assault boat, Serna-class and Akula-class landing craft, and a Stenka-class patrol vessel.
Here are the Russian warships known to have been sunk or taken out of the fight over the past two years.
Russian marines on top of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan at Havana's harbor Wednesday. YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images© YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images
- Russian naval ships left Cuba on Monday after a five-day official visit.
- The Kazan submarine appeared to have visible damage, including panels falling off, an analyst said.
- Military experts told BI the damage is "common" and shouldn't affect the sub's performance.
One of Russia's newest and most advanced submarines, which just left Cuba, appears to be "falling apart" and to have damage to its hull, an open-source-intelligence analyst said.
Marijn Markus, a managing consultant at Capgemini, shared four photos of the nuclear-powered Kazan in a LinkedIn post on Monday.
Markus said it appeared the sub's soundproofing panels were "falling off" the front part of the submarine's hull. He said that would make the vessel "very" loud underwater and compromise its stealth capabilities.
He also pointed to what he described as a "gaping" hole at the sub's midsection.
"While docked, Russian divers were seen around the sub, presumably trying to repair the tin tub," he said.
Markus didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
However, military experts told BI that the damage seen in the photos is common and probably wouldn't affect the sub's operational capabilities.
Richard Kouyoumdjian Inglis, an officer in Chile's naval reserve, told BI that tiles are made of rubber and can get loose and fall off.
Losing a lot of the tiles would make the sub easier to find, Inglis said, but the photos showed only a few tiles were missing, which wouldn't be enough to make a difference.
"Russian naval vessels are not state of the art and sometimes are not well maintained, but that does not mean something catastrophic will happen," he said.
John Hardie, the deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told BI that these tiles falling off is a "quite common" problem for all navies, including the US Navy.
Meanwhile, Mark C, a former Royal Navy submariner who declined to provide his last name, citing work-related crossovers, said the vessel appeared to have some operational wear and tear but would be capable of performing its role.
"So it's very possible it will continue its exercises," he told BI.
The Kazan, along with three Russian surface ships, left Havana's port in Cuba on Monday after a five-day official visit that included planned military drills in the Atlantic, The Associated Press reported.
The fleet's next destination is unclear, though US officials said a few days ago it could stop in Venezuela, the AP reported.
The US and its Western allies have been concerned about the relatively new Kazan class of submarines for years, citing its ability to strike targets on land and at sea with little advance warning.
An unnamed US official said Russia sending warships to Cuba was an attempt to show that its navy is still a global power despite the heavy losses it's sustained during the war with Ukraine, the AP reported earlier this month. |
