9 May 2022Neither can the USA confirm a Ukrainian attack on the frigate "Admiral Makarov", nor does Russia want to publicly prove the opposite by exposing Kiev through a sign of life from the frigate. Of course, it is also conceivable that this material was launched by Russia in order to test and keep Ukrainian and Western media busy.
Why the "Makarov" video is probably a fake - but doesn't have to be - is explained in the YouTube post by "Gadget Engineering".
7 May 2022: It would be the stuff of the best fake of all time - but it seems to be true!
In anticipation of bad news from the battlefields and cities of Ukraine on the eve of 9 May - especially after the sinking of the "Moskva", the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet - it is hard to believe the reports that are piling up on the web: the third and newest frigate of the "Grigorovich" class, the "Admiral Makarov", was hit and set on fire by a Ukrainian anti-ship missile not far from Snake Island! What is the acting flagship of the Black Sea Fleet doing in roughly the same place where the "Moskva" was broken? Moscow denies, and Washington cannot (yet) confirm, but the footage is overwhelming. "Unverified, but reasonably convincing!" (Navy Lookout).
With the air surveillance radar still rotating and heavy smoke developing in the forecastle area, the footage from the passing drone shows several burnt areas on both sides in front of the bridge superstructures, probably of a "Grigorovich" frigate. Not uncritical, because this would be directly next to the silos of the RBU-6000 U-defence grenade launchers, or the 8 vertical silos (VLS) of the Kalibr sea/land target cruise missiles SS-N-27/30. And further towards the bow are the 24 VLS of the SA-N-7C (9M317) anti-aircraft missiles and the 100mm cannon.
Black Sea frigate
The "Admiral Makarov", named after Stepan Osipovich Makarov, the torpedo pioneer, oceanographer, polar explorer, writer and, of course, Vice Admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy who grew up in Nikolayevsk on the Amur and perished in 1904 after being hit by a mine during the Japanese-Russian War, was built between 2012 and 2017 at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad/Königsberg and has a crew of around 200. Alongside its sister ship "Admiral Essen", it is currently the most powerful Russian unit in the Black Sea. This type of ship was built exclusively for the Black Sea Fleet.
The "Grigorovich" type ship
The sister and type ship "Admiral Grigorovich" is probably still outside the Black Sea, where it is reinforcing the Mediterranean/Syria theatre of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, which is being operated in parallel. Due to the closure of the Bosporus by Turkey in accordance with the Montreux Convention (Straits Agreement), it could be ordered back there as being based in Sevastopol, but that would mean a showdown with the Turkish President - and he is still needed for peace negotiations. Having their 8 Kalibr land-based cruise missiles fly over NATO territory in the direction of Ukraine, as Moscow's last reserve so to speak, could also challenge the West on a strategic level.
Situation currently unclear
There is no information about the whereabouts of the "Admiral Makarov" or a sinking that has already been reported online. Some ship movements in the direction of the damage site were obviously recognisable, possibly to provide assistance in an emergency at sea. Whatever the situation on board a wounded "Makarov", when the "fog of war" lifts, only the "Admiral Essen" will remain as the flagship. Despite a plethora of old ships, it is getting lonely for the more powerful newbuildings in the harbour of Sevastopol.
In better times, a Russian video of just over 4 minutes was recorded on the "Admiral Makarov", showing many details of the "Grigorovich" class:
Further destruction of a landing craft
And in order to put a stop to any thoughts of using the occupied Snake Island as a possible command platform for an amphibious landing operation against the Odessa region, a 27-metre, 100-tonne "Serna" class landing craft (project 11770) accompanied by "Raptors" (project 03160) was destroyed when approaching an unloading pier on the island. Bayraktar drones are also believed to have been involved in the battle.
Serna-class fast landing craft. Photo: Russian media
Mixed feelings on the eve of 9 May 2022.
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