“We need to scout and jam” - Admiral Komoyedov on how to stop new attacks on Novorossiysk
Could the Black Sea Fleet have protected its large anti-submarine ship "Olenegorsky Miner", which was damaged today as a result of an attack by Ukrainian naval drones? Did the attack on this particular ship make military sense? What ships does Russia need on the Black Sea?
PolitNavigator asked these questions to the former commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov.
"PolitNavigator": Was it possible to protect the large landing craft stationed on the outer roadstead?
Vladimir Komoyedov: Of course you can. Not that it’s possible, but it’s also necessary. It is always necessary to organize security and defense of the anchorage in the roadstead. This is done either by the naval base when the ships are dispersed, or by the commanders of the formations themselves who are on these ships. If this is not the case, then the ship’s commander himself.
It is imperative that ships that are dispersed or anchored in a roadstead organize security and defense. This is anti-boat defense, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, against underwater sabotage weapons, against surface ships and submarines. For this purpose, decisions are made on security and defense. If additional forces are required, they are allocated.
Aviation is required to be used both day and night, and fighter cover is provided when ships are in the roadstead. Moreover, the BDK, it does not have any defense equipment.
"PolitNavigator": There is an opinion that the Black Sea Fleet does not need large ships, which become easy targets for attacks. Enough corvettes.
Vladimir Komoyedov: It was my idea. While serving in the fleet and reporting my thoughts to the commander-in-chief, I said that each fleet should have its own group of ships. It so happened geographically that our Black Sea and Baltic fleets operate in closed theaters of military operations. There are strait zones, the reach of ships is quite short. There is even nowhere to concentrate in the Baltic.
When I was the commander of the fleet, I did not know how to save large ships, such as the cruiser Moskva, from the first strike, so that later I could use them to their full potential. I had very big difficulties. There is nowhere to hide, nothing to cover. Moreover, Crimea was still Ukrainian at that time. They even refused to provide me with air defense. Such a conversion, Japanese mother.
"PolitNavigator": American drones are constantly hovering over the Black Sea. Does this make the Russian fleet defenseless?
Vladimir Komoyedov: As for being defenseless, that’s unlikely. But the fact that they will monitor the Black Sea Fleet regularly and in real time is one hundred percent certain.
In order to fight surface drones, it is necessary to scout where they are built, where they are from and where they are brought, where they are tested, where they are prepared for use. And of course, you need to know how they are controlled. If these drones are hovering, it means control is through space, through aviation. This drone needs to be given target designation, a program must be laid down, where to go, where to turn.
He cannot go in combat-ready condition for the entire passage, because he can get on a civilian ship. It must be brought into combat condition in a timely manner. It is controlled via some kind of radio link through space, through drones, through reconnaissance aircraft.
This means we need to scout out and jam, interrupt this control system. Then he will be helpless. The Black Sea Fleet must do this with all its forces: reconnaissance, electronic warfare.
We have electronic warfare aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft, helicopters of all kinds, which must provide a sustainable operational solution in a certain area of the sea.
"PolitNavigator": Was there a strategic meaning in the attack specifically on the "Olenegorsky Miner" or did it become an accidental victim?
Vladimir Komoyedov: There is no strategic sense in destroying the large landing craft, but there is a proverb in Ukraine: if you don’t take it, you’ll bite it. BDKs are engaged in transporting military cargo. The main purpose is amphibious landings. This is the most difficult operation at sea, which requires a colossal expenditure of forces.
“PolitNavigator”: Ukrainian media write that the disabling of landing ships will facilitate the naval blockade of Crimea.
Vladimir Komoyedov: That's bullshit. Don't listen.
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