A typically stony-faced Putin manages to crack another unsmile at hapless Russian Captain (2nd rank) (who was equivalent to a USN Commander).
---
A most curious article has cropped up in The Moscow Times. This is a portion of Matthew Bodner’s, Chaos Consumes Russia's Baltic Fleet of July 6, 2016:
Bodner reports:
“On June 29, [2016] the Russian Defense Ministry
announced it was purging the entire senior and mid-level command
of the Baltic Fleet. It was a dramatic move that suggested deep
structural problems within the fleet command. In total, 50 officers
were dismissed from their post, including the fleet commander, Vice
Admiral Viktor Kravchuk, and his chief of staff, Vice Admiral Sergei
Popov.
Not since Stalin's purges had so many officers been ousted
at once.”
There is a theory that this purge was due to mass corruption and inefficiency. But according to this
US
report of July 8, 2016 corruption, inefficiency and ships and submarines on fire are endemic in the
Russian Navy. So there may be an additional reason.
Subsequently concurring with my view is http://navalinstitute.com.au/world-naval-developments-july-2016/ of August 3, 2016 with the author, Norman Friedman, indicating “It seems more likely that the officers involved had refused to engage in risky behavior Putin is now demanding.”
They are lucky that Putin is not a Stalin, noting Stalin's officer purges of the 1930s hit the Soviet Navy severely as well.
See fragmentary reports in TASS and FlashNord of July 1, 2016 as well as a report from Russia's Interfax (with useful biodata).
See fragmentary reports in TASS and FlashNord of July 1, 2016 as well as a report from Russia's Interfax (with useful biodata).
Pete
2 comments:
Hi Pete,
This may interest you
DCNS, ThyssenKrupp To Face Off in Norwegian Submarines Bid
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/submarines/2016/07/11/dcns-thyssenkrupp-submarine-norway/86948750/
Thanks Nicky
Pete
Post a Comment