UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS – 3 ANSWERS, PART 27: Moscow and naval power?

A part of the war in Ukraine is being fought from the sea. But what role does the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet actually play? And how significant is the loss of the missile cruiser Moskwa?

These questions are answered by Major General Bruno Hofbauer. He leads the strategic planning in the Ministry of Defense and is the author of the book "Modern Sea Power". In it, he deals, among other things, with the history of the Navy, the logistics of naval forces, and the various classes of warships.

Our Expert's Commentary:

Regarding the sinking of the missile cruiser Moskwa: What evidence suggests that the ship was sunk by Ukrainian forces?

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have at their disposal the sea-skimming missile R-360 "Neptune", a very powerful weapon system capable of inflicting serious damage, including causing the total loss of a large ship like the cruiser "Moskwa" of the Slava class.

How significant is the impact of this loss?

The loss of the Moskwa has multiple consequences:

• It is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, thus having a very high prestige value.
• A cruiser is difficult to replace, especially quickly, since the necessary industrial capacities are not sufficiently available.
• The replacement of the ship with another cruiser (there are a total of three other cruisers in the Russian naval forces) cannot currently take place as Turkey has closed access to the Black Sea for all warships.
• The impact achievable by the weapons of the Moskwa cannot be fully replaced by other Russian warships in the Black Sea.

What role does the Russian Black Sea Fleet play in the war against Ukraine?

The ships of the Black Sea Fleet support the ground troops' fight. They use cruise missiles against high-value targets throughout Ukraine, ensure protection against air attacks for targets under Russian control - for example, in Crimea - screen the area of operations from the sea against non-Russian forces, and represent a threat to the areas still under Ukrainian control on the coast.

BUNDESHEER online

UKRAINE: 3 Questions - 3 Answers

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 26: NUCLEAR ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 25: ELECTRONIC WARFARE?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 24: TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 23: MARIUPOL?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 22: PHOSPHORUS BOMBS?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 21: WAR AND LAW?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 20: BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 19: ABC HAZARDS?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 18: SUPPLY?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 17: MISSILES AND AIR DEFENSE?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 16: AIR COMBAT?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 15: COMBINED ARMS COMBAT?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 14: TANK COMBAT?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 13: UNDERGROUND COMBAT?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 12: CYBERWAR?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 11: NEUTRALITY?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 10: HOW'S IT GOING?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 9: ABC DANGER?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 8: URBAN COMBAT

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 7: AIR WARFARE AND DRONES

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 6: NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND NUCLEAR THREAT

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 5: WHAT WEAPONS?

- UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 4: WEAPONS FOR KYIV?

– UKRAINE: 3 FRAGEN - 3 ANTWORTEN, PART 3: IS THERE RESISTANCE?

– UKRAINE: 3 FRAGEN - 3 ANTWORTEN, PART 2: WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ATTACK?

– UKRAINE: 3 FRAGEN - 3 ANTWORTEN, PART 1: WHAT IS HAPPENING?