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Posted on 03/26/2014 9:55:28 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
Minesweeper Dodges Larger Force for Weeks in Crimea
NOVO-OZERNE, Ukraine—Its escape to the open seas blocked by sunken ships, the Ukrainian minesweeper Cherkassy weaved and lurched in a narrow gulf on Tuesday afternoon with a symbolic, if inevitably brief, distinction: the last Ukrainian military vessel in Crimea not yet seized by the Russian navy.
From the banks of the gulf cutting into the western flank of the peninsula from the Black Sea, the Russians watched the trapped, constantly moving ship, then dispatched patrol boats to chase and bump the stubborn vessel in several unsuccessful capture attempts.
All other Ukrainian vessels blockaded in the same gulf, known as the Donuzlav Lake, had been seized in recent weeks.
On Tuesday night, the Russians tried again to seize the minesweeper. There was gunfire, explosions and smoke grenades, while helicopters hovered above the craft.
Officials at the Russian military base on the gulf declined to comment during the standoff on Tuesday.
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On Tuesday night, the Russians finally captured the minesweeper.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Don’t give up the ship!
God bless these brave sailors.
Damn, I want to be on that ship with them.... just to help them give Ivan a giant middle finger...
Feels like 1938 and Czechoslovakia is staring at the Germans coming across the border...
... and Neville Chamberlain is jabbering about “peace in our time...”
I would have scuttled it................
It that isn’t a declaration of war by Russia, then what is?
It IS NOT the last ship in the Ukrainian Navy.
There are others at the port of Odessa. It was the last one left in Crimea, though.
The Frigate Sahaydachniy (the Ukraine Flagship) and a few others (mostly unserviceable) still remain.
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I don’t care about Russia stealing Crimea. Unless SOME Ukranian actually fires a shot; I can’t take them seriously.
Ukranians are cowards or frauds.
“...Unless SOME Ukranian actually fires a shot...”
Actually plenty of Ukrainians were shot during the Maidan protests. But it is not easy to start shooting at your fellow slavs in the Crimea when they have shared the penisula with Russians all these years. The initiative held by Putin and his Spetznaz was sureal and confusing coming on the heals of the Maidan triumph.
Remember that of the top two legitimate Ukrainian leaders in the current era, one suffered dioxin poisoning and one suffered false inprisonment. Who among our TOP leaders has shown greater courage?
And I believe both happened by the same person.
reminds me of VARYAG at the start of the russo-japanese war.
Not one shot fired at a Russian. Period.
One must keep in mind that the Ukraine’ military in Crimea is heavily ethnic Russian. Also, evidently, they (Ukraine military) are under orders not to open fire.
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/maydan/updatemarch25.html
The “reasoning” is probably to try to prevent Putin from having excuse for further “defensive” actions. Or maybe it is to buy time. However, this reasoning is not likely to work. Some in Ukraine probably realize this: Note how the word “pacifists” at the link just drips with disgust.
Yeah, if it was up to me on the ship, I’d have as many M1 Garands pointed right at them I can find.
Keep in mind the Ukraines may have no bullets or ammunition. Look at it this way a sign of strength for a weak defenseless country to be taken over by a Superpower. It is laughable that Russia has to expend so much to overthrow a country that is financially destitute. Crimea receives its electricity and heating from the Ukraine - another article claims that the Russian government has had to bring in diesel generators to Sevastopol to maintain power to the military base because the power comes from thwe Ukraine which is not under Russia’s power. Talk about building coal firing plants in Crimea to make sure that Crimea is energy independent. Or the possibility have a source from Russia be installed through the 2.8 mile water passage that separates Crime from Russia. Russia will have to spend lots of money just to get energy for Crimea
RE Garands:
They have the Kalashnikov equivalent ... and I hear you loud and clear, brother.
What a lousy position for those sailors to be in...
The article says the reds captured it Tuesday night (Wednesday here).
Sucks all around...
I’m always for the underdog... I wish I was there with a Kalashnikov.
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