A Sinking Feeling For Russia
Ukraine, using Ukrainian-built neptune anti ship cruise missiles hit and sank the Ukrainian-built Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship the Moskva. This is the ship which Ukrainian defenders famously told to "fuck off" -- one could say it now has done so. Russia does not have the capability to build a replacement, nor can it bring a replacement through the Bosporus.
The Ukrainians had kept their only neptune missile battery safe and unused for the past 50 days until this opportunity presented itself, showing patience and discipline, and cunning-- reportedly the distracted the ship with a bayraktar, causing it to point its best radar in the wrong direction as they fired the missiles.
Russia claims the ship had a fire and sank in a storm -- conditions were 14 knot winds (officially classed as a "moderate breeze") and three foot swell (technically a "slight" sea state). Russia claims all 510 crew were evacuated. Other sources claim only 54 crew were, which would make it a huge single loss of life for Russia (ticking Russia over 20,000 losses, which would happen today regardless) on top of the loss of an irreplaceable military asset. Also, possibly the loss of an admiral? Apparently the admiral was ashore in Crimea, and has been "violently" arrested by Russian secret police. Cue "you have failed me for the last time Admiral."
The ramifications of this are that the Russian fleet has moved out of missile range of Odessa, they had been firing ship launched cruise missiles at it from time to time, the Russian fleet is probably now in effect useless. And of course probably more significantly this is huge loss of prestige and slap in Putin's face. It's been 75 years since such a large warship has been sunk in war (last larger ship was in WWII).
Various reports of Ukrainian mortar and shelling attacks over the border into Russia, and apparently another oil depot is burning in Russian Belgorad. At this moment Russia is hitting Kyiv with cruise missiles but that's nothing new.
There are currently 65 Russian Battle Tactical Groups fighting in Ukraine. They began with 130. Basement dwelling Putin fans like to point out that this is a fraction of Russia's on-paper strength, but I am quite confident this is the entirely of the forces Russia can scrape together -- they've already resorted to desperate measures such as recalling to active duty troops ten years out from their service, offering bonuses, and sending officers from training bases into the front. If they could send more troops and make this anything other thn an embarassing loss they absolutely would have. Due to failed logistics, nonexistant morale, and a dismal state of readiness, the Russian military is a joke.
The ship was originally built in Mykolaiv, Ukraine (then USSR), as the Soviet Slava. Slava Ukrinya!