You Bet Putin Is Angry: Ukraine Ruins Russian Navy Day Celebration with Attack

The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet HQs in Sevastopol Rocked By Explosion – On the day when the Russian military celebrates its navy, an explosion rocked the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol earlier on Sunday, leading to the canceling of activities to celebrate Navy Day.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, Sevastopol’s Russian-installed Governor, told Russian media that five staff members were wounded in what he claimed was a drone attack that struck the courtyard at the headquarters.

“Early this morning, Ukraine decided to spoil our Navy Day,” he posted on the Telegram channel app. “An unidentified object flew into the yard of the fleet headquarters; according to preliminary data, it was a drone. Five people were injured, these are employees of the fleet headquarters, and there were no fatalities.

“All celebratory events have been canceled due to safety concerns,” he wrote. “I ask you to stay calm and stay at home if possible.”

However, one Russian military blogger wrote that he doubted it was a conventional military drone attack because of the distance from Ukrainian-held territory and said it was more likely a terrorist attack on the headquarters. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has launched an investigation into the attack. 

Later the Black Sea Fleet reported that the attack was carried out by a makeshift drone fitted with a low-powered explosive device. Damage to the building was slight, and the injured staff members were cut by flying glass.

Russia Warns of “Doomsday” If Ukraine Attacks Sevastopol

Sevastopol has great symbolic value to both sides in the war. And attacking the headquarters in Crimea would undoubtedly draw escalation from the Russian military.

Two weeks ago, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that if Ukraine dared to attack Sevastopol or Crimea, it would immediately trigger a “doomsday” response from the Russian military.

Speaking to a group of Russian veterans in Volgograd, he said, “Some ecstatic bloody clowns, who pop up there with some statements now and then, are trying to threaten us, I mean attacks on Crimea and so on,” Medvedev said, according to the Russian government-run news agency TASS.

“Should anything of the kind happen, they will be faced with a doomsday, very quick and tough, immediately. There will be no avoiding it. But they keep on provoking the general situation by such statements,” he added.

However, Natalia Gumenyuk, a Ukraine’s Southern Command spokeswoman, did not confirm Ukrainian involvement in the strike but said Russian military facilities inside Crimea are legitimate targets.

“Ukraine’s armed forces are carrying out activities to liberate our occupied territories, using the weapons models that are available for this purpose. Our targets are exclusively the military facilities of the Russian Federation,” she said. “We do not strike on the territory of the Russian Federation. Crimea is Ukraine.”

The Russian Navy Gets an Upgrade: Putin Claims Moscow Will Field New Hypersonic Missiles Soon

At celebrations marking Navy Day in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian Navy would receive what he described as “formidable” hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles in the next few months.

Hypersonic missiles travel at least at Mach 5, but unlike ballistic missiles, which travel at about the same speed, hypersonics can change direction easily and are much more maneuverable.

 The frigate Admiral Gorshkov, Putin said, would be the first Russian warship to be fitted with the new Zircon missiles, for which he claimed that “no obstacles exist.”

“We will firmly provide for their protection by all means,” Putin said, speaking about Moscow’s new naval doctrine, which will project Russian power in its coastal boundaries and areas of Russian national interest, including in the Arctic, Black, and Bering seas, and the Baltic and Kuril straits.

Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO, and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 19fortyfive.com and other military news organizations, he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for over 11 years. His work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.

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