When a Russian destroyer came close to colliding with a U.S. Navy warship last Friday, Russian sailors were spotted sunbathing on the deck. A retired Russian admiral says there's nothing weird about that.
Russian Admiral Valentin Selivanov, a military analyst who previously served as the chief of staff of the Russian Navy, told Russian media Monday that there's nothing wrong with relaxing topside when you're not at war.
"There is a time for war, and a time for sunbathing," the admiral explained.
After Russian and American warships nearly collided in the East China Sea on Friday, both countries were quick to accuse the other of "dangerous and unprofessional" behavior, according to a June 7 report by Reuters.
One detail that hasn't come up, but totally should, is why a bunch of Russian sailors were chilling on the deck of the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov when the vessel came within 50 to 165 feet of the USS Chancellorsville, a Navy guided-missile cruiser. (The exact distance between the two vessels is unclear, as both the U.S. and Russian navies are citing different figures.)
The Russian Ministry of Defense has published training footage of its new Stoikiy corvette firing "Uran" anti-ship missiles, shedding more light on Russia's unfolding naval modernization strategy.
The one-minute clip begins with several shots of Stoikiy, before turning to what appears to be the captain ordering the missile launch in condensed military parlance: "Missile attack. Commander of the second combat unit, surface target, coast 0. Distance of 30 kilometers. Initiate orders."
A red alarm bell is sounded, and a Stoikiy crew member is shown pushing a large "launch" button. The launch of the two Kh-35 missiles is depicted from multiple angles, including the onboard digital targeting module. The clip then shows close-up footage of the blast impact, before ending with a parting vanity shot of Stoikiy.
A photo taken from a Norwegian surveillance aircraft shows Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in international waters off the coast of Northern Norway on October 17, 2016. (Reuters)
Russia is admitting it may be forced to scrap its only aircraft carrier as the troubled flagship suffered a catastrophic shipyard accident last fall.
Russia's Navy is falling behind the U.S. Navy in combat power, according to Russian defense press.
The Russian Navy's combat capability was just 45 percent of the U.S. Navy's according to an analysis by flot.com, a Russian defense Web site [English translation here]. This is down from 47 percent in 2017 and 52 percent in 2014.
Unless the Russian navy is hunting for the Red October in the eastern Mediterranean, it is likely that so many Russian ships have remained there since the end of Moscow's latest naval exercise there primarily to support Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, Pentagon officials said.
