Russia's navy day celebrations falter amid Ukraine conflict
This year's Navy Day celebrations were quite a flop for the Russians. They had to cancel a key part of the event, and only two Black Sea Fleet ships appeared during the St. Petersburg parade. According to analysts and British intelligence, this is another sign of the significant problems the Russians are facing due to the war in Ukraine and the losses they are suffering there.
7:57 PM EDT, July 29, 2024
Navy Day, a recurring holiday of the Russian fleet that was also held during Soviet times, regained its status as a national holiday in 2017 thanks to Vladimir Putin. This year's event took place on Sunday, July 28, but a few days beforehand, British intelligence reported that the Russians were having problems and for security reasons, a key part of the celebrations had been canceled, which were supposed to take place in Kronstadt.
Failed Navy Day celebrations in Russia
"This isn't the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine (in 2022) that various events in Russia have been canceled for security reasons. However, this event is the most significant among them, indicating greater difficulties (for the Kremlin) in ensuring the security of its armed forces," read a statement from the British Ministry of Defense.
The broadcast by Russian media showed parades taking place in St. Petersburg, Baltiysk, Vladivostok, Severomorsk, Kaspiysk, and the Russian base in Tartus, Syria. As noted by the BBC, Russian President Vladimir Putin was present in St. Petersburg.
However, he was not able to admire the might of the Black Sea Fleet, as only two ships from its composition were present there – the corvette Mercury, which performs tasks at the Russian military base in Tartus, Syria, and the frigate Admiral Grigorovich. The latter has a displacement of about 4,400 tons, measures 410 feet in length, and 49 feet in width. The armament of the Russian frigate includes a 3.94-inch cannon, torpedo launchers, medium-range anti-aircraft missile launchers, and Oniks or Kalibr cruise missiles. The range of the latter reaches even 1,553 miles.
Problems of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
Since 2022, the Ukrainian army has managed to attack over 20 Russian ships serving on the Black Sea. Some of them have been destroyed or at least damaged. Among others, the cruiser Moskva sank, which the Ukrainians managed to disable using Neptune missiles.
As Ukrainian media pointed out, during the Navy Day celebrations, the Russians did not display any of the Black Sea Fleet ships that had been damaged. Thus, they did not provide evidence of rapid repairs, which some units claimed by Russian propaganda.
The Black Sea Fleet has incurred significant losses due to Storm Shadow/ Scalp EG cruise missiles arriving at the front from the UK and France. The defending army also used tactical, operational missiles (Tochka-U) and maritime drones–primarily Magura V5 and Sea Baby.
