Public sentiment is sharply divided, with significant support for Russia's military actions and skepticism towards Ukraine's narrative. Many commenters express admiration for Russia's successes while criticizing Ukraine's military capabilities and leadership. There are also voices advocating for peace and demonstrating frustration with the ongoing conflict. The overall sentiment reflects a strong polarization, with a mix of enthusiasm for Russia and critical views on Ukraine's position and mainstream media.

Russia

Ukraine

NATO

Let me fix that title for you... "Russia just launched an old expensive large target with next to zero military value to impress people of low intelligence"

Practical-Fold7294

“The Admiral Nakhimov is thus expected to remain totally unique as the world’s only nuclear powered surface combat ship…”

That’s because it’s way too expensive to operate them.  I bet the Russian Treasury is hoping this one sinks soon, because they are running out of roubles!

CombCultural5907

Somewhere, a few dozen hungry Sea Babies are licking their chops ...

maverick_labs_ca

Crazy_Brick4054

with any luck Ukraine will upgrade it to a submarine.

Fluid-Piccolo-6911

Looking forward to Ukraine sinking it.👍😁

MindPitt314

It will never leave the Baltic. So useless.

Proof-Ad-8968

hmtk1976

thatmntishman

Oooh, better tell the sailors not smoke onboard, might have an accident!

Hairy_Muff305

Still unaffordable. It will interesting to see if this is more sabre rattling or a functional vessel.

Sealawyer-1

onlinepresenceofdan

Looking forward to reports of it having been made to go submarine by a Ukrainian drone strike.

TheOnsiteEngineer

Jet2work

Russia already has Steven Seagal on standby for when somebody tries to highjack that old ship

Dr_Hull

Ready to be turned into the world largest immovable submarine by Ukraine?

This-Republic-1756

Would be a shame if it sunk, unexpectedly. Would be a shame if.

ccorbydog31

PanneKopp

vgiz

„26 year deep refurbishment“ = they pulled it out of moth balls because they lack a better alternative. 

Hopefully it will be a wonderful artificial reef as well.

TeamSpatzi

Wrong-Hospital-911

As I understand it a rubber raft with a few Neptuns could seriously damage that for a minuscule price compared to that ship.

PadishaEmperor

Too bad that they have sent the crew to die in Ukrainian fields...

wil3k

Imagine what a couple of drones could do to it. Ukraine, my popcorn is ready, do your thing.

Froggyshop

Humlum

This thing is basically defenseless against modern naval droneswarms and missiles. But because it binds hundreds of Russian personal and has only symbolic value, no one will attack it.

Nothing Russia has is able to stop modern western armament.

Smartimess

This is a sure sign Russia is all smoke and mirrors. Why on earth would they spend all that money and time on a ship that old to be used in operation. It’s going to get taken out by a $20 drone.

Savage-September

28,000 tonnes is tiny compared to even the UKs carriers at 65,000 tonnes. So, not sure why they’re saying it’s the largest combat vessel. I’d class a carrier as a combat vessel.

haphazard_chore

Feuertotem

Dang, that looks like they raised The Arizona.

OnionOnBelt

Russians really never read those memos, don't they?

jhwheuer

If it‘s so expensive to maintain and a prestige project of sorts, it could not see a lot of action/danger and as such won‘t be a great target as it also drains resources.

SuperMario2697

Kinky!  Now, deploy it to the Black Sea so we can all have some fun. 😈

Awkward_Function_347

rossfororder

Which Naval Base is it heading out from, because if it has to pass through Danish territory I will be crossing fingers, toes and everything else that the goddamn thing doesnt keel over and create an enviromental disaster, because there is no way in hell that Putin will pay for the clean up because he will blame NATO, Ukraine or Marsians.

Traubentritt

Lol Soviets really thought bigger is better for everything

FourArmsFiveLegs

Troia_Nova

The best ever possible name for ruZZian ship. 

The "Admiral Nakhimov", like [one destroyed in Tsushima battle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cruiser_Admiral_Nakhimov_(1885)).   
Or the [other one bombed to the bottom by Luftwaffe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_cruiser_Chervona_Ukraina).   
Or the [other one scrapped off after 7 years of service after Cthulhu-know-what happened with it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_cruiser_Admiral_Nakhimov_(1951)) (captain\`s journal was proclaimed a state secret).   
Or at least [the passenger seaship that collided with bulker, sunk and took 400+ passengers with i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Admiral_Nakhimov)t. 

Prepare popcorn.

Vovinio2012

Would be a crying shame if some russian sailors were carelessly smoking on the ship in the near future...

UselessLayabout

Probably it is a nightmare to serve it that ship.

Mundane-Shelter-9348

Oh man, it's going to be so funny when Ukraine sinks it :P

Possible_Chicken_489

Just as well they didn't need it in a rush

OkCurve436

David-tee

The next transformation will be to a deep dive submarine.

Disastrous_Fee_8712

I mean, if you ignore all the technological advances since the 1940s, its pretty impressive

Dependent_Survey_546

Ant0n61

Seattle_gldr_rdr

Can Betfair open a bet for the date Ukraine un-floats it again?

TruthBringer92

Surface ships are a has-been. The US is learning this the hard &amp; expensive way.

2GR-AURION

26 Years, untold millions, and its as vulnerable to a 10.000€ drone as everything else

UndeadBBQ

The mothers of the Russian Navy's sailors unfortunately better be ready for another large scale burials at sea.

ExecutiveAvenger

Imma send a supertanker with 2 MG-42 on it and call it Europe's largest combat ship.

Ja_Shi

The Kirov is a real beast in its prime days though, with weapons, missiles, and defense systems racked to the teeth, built to face head on an entire US fleet. Sinking it would be a real challenge

However, without proper maintenance and upgrade (this thing is at least 30 years old now) as often with Russian equipment, bringing them back brings little strategic value

HolyMopOfCheese

"World's Largest Combat Ship"? It's like a quarter the size of the USS Gerald Ford.

troelsbjerre

Russia can claim it's an act of war all they want....

But if the state seizing the ship has a better Navy than Russia (or allies who do) there isn't much Russia can do about it.

'You and who's Navy?' 'Does the US Navy Count?' 'Um, uh, nevermind that whole war thing'....

Dave_A480

They justify it by claiming that the ships are violating the sanctions against Russia. 


Anything goes in international waters.
If any country objects to these ships getting seized then they can send their navy to protect them.

jeroen-79

Either they’re in breach of legal sanctions or they believe the ships are engaged in espionage.

Pinelli72

When are they being seized in international waters?

deep_sea2

The Russian navy should sail around Africa and dispute this. This might work - second time could be the charm!

Interesting-Log-9627

If such a seizure were to occur in international waters, it would likely be justified as an extraterritorial exercise of jurisdiction. Further, even if the seizure would otherwise violate international law, it would not be wrongful because it would be a countermeasure intended to induce Russia to stop committing aggression and other crimes in Ukraine.

Calvinball90

It's not like an act of war has some power there is not a court that adjudicates this it's a purely political not a legal thing.

Now more into the details trading with sanctioned county in itself can be an act of war.  So nations distance themselves claiming that the ship was doing so without their permission thus illegally.  Lots of plausible deniability and backroom deals.

Overall in international waters the guys with the biggest navy gets to say what's what on the spot.  Countries that are sanctioning others often grant themselves broad inspection and interdiction powers and task their navy with enforcing those sanctions.  In general boarding and inspections are something any navy can do with reasonable suspicion, refusing to stop is cause to use force.

silasmoeckel

When a country objects to the actions of another they have a few options:

1. Diplomatic pressure, this could be sanctions, tariffs, and the like.  
2. Legal action inside the country (basically start a court case against the government in that country.)  
3. Legal action inside their own country, mostly useless, look at Russia's fine of 2 undecillion rubles against Google, granted google is not a country nor is Google based in Russia. The case was largely for show because Google ain't gonna pay.  
4. Work within the United Nations to resolve the issue.  
5. War.

pixel293

Zero-Friction

[deleted]

The US Navy’s 1989 Visit to Sevastopol: 

Three Soviet warship sailed into Norfolk, VA on 21 July 1989, starting a series of goodwill visit between the Soviet Navy and the US Navy. A three-ship delegation was assigned to visit Sevastopol to return the favor, USS Belknap (CG-26), USS Thomas F. Gates (CG-51) and Kauffman (FFG-59) from the 6th fleet. However, after the announcement of the murder of USMC Colonel William R. Higgins in Lebanon, Belknap, the 6th Fleet's flagship, was diverted to the Lebanon coast, reducing the delegation to two ships. Members of the Sixth Fleet staff, the Sixth Fleet band, a Marine color guard, and various other staff, diplomatic, and analytical personnel were transferred to the Kauffman and they carried on their journey to Crimea. 

The two ships reached Sevastopol on the early morning of 4 August, marking a historical moment. It was the second time any American warships has visited a Soviet port since World War II, and the first in 14 years, since Soviet ships visited Boston and US ships visited Leningrad in 1975. This was also the first deployment for the Kauffman since its commissioning. The delegation was led by Soviet corvette into the harbor. It was cold and raining that day and sailors in their summer uniforms were “shivering as they manned the rails for the run into Sevastopol.” 

Sevastopol, which served as the headquarters of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, was a closed city during the Soviet era and even citizens had restricted access. However, the city welcomed the arrival of the US warships with open arms. Thousands of residents gathered at the pier. Crew members were handed babies to kiss, asked to pose for photos and given Rubles, souvenirs and food. Caps and cookies fly through the air. A brass band played marches and two women in traditional Russian costumes met the ship with bread and salt, traditional symbols of hospitality. 

Gates and a shore battery exchanged 21-gun salutes. After the sailors disembarked, they set off to explore the mysterious city and interact with a frenzied crowd. The sailors were arranged to visit local winery, a state farm, museum concerts and a youth camp. The guided missile cruisers Slava and the Kara class guided missile cruiser Azov were also present in the harbor and US officers were given a tour of the ships. The US ships, on the other hand, were open to public for three hours a day, serving hot dogs and Pepsi, which quickly won over the favor of the crowd. Vice Admiral Paul Ilg, deputy commander-in-chief, US Naval Forces Europe, told reporters that his ships had been propelled “by winds of change that are blowing through your country” and that “it is visits like these that may someday curb the arms race.” 

However, there was still some incidents that poked through the façade of peace and tranquility, some rowdy teens were beaten with baton and chased off by Russian security. Another middle-aged woman was carried away by security after saying the word asylum in Russian. 

Despite the disturbances, the visit ended without too much hassle. After enjoying a four-day stay, the two ships left on 8 August, accompanied by some morning vodka. Ironically, the Kauffman’s next assignment would be to track a Soviet submarine. Nevertheless, this begins a series of similar visits in the following years. Slava would later be renamed Moskva and recommissioned into the Russian Navy in April 2000, serving as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet until its eventual sinking on 14 April 2022. The photos really capture the human side of great power conflicts, the poignant belief and hope of a peaceful future at the twilight hours of Cold War, with the looming collapse of the Soviet Union, a feeling that is long gone now. 



Sources: 

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2023/june/peacekeeping-sevastopol-reminiscence 

https://deseret.com/1989/8/5/18818374/soviets-greet-u-s-sailors-with-bread-salt-open-arms/ 

https://www.deseret.com/1989/8/9/18818791/caption-only-sailing-soviet-style/ 

NYT, August 5, 1989, 3. 

Press Democrat, Volume 132, Number 288, 5 August 1989, 3.

Armchair_General_wyf

Cool to see Slava in happier times. It’s quite ironic; she started her life as a major player in the improvement in relations between the US and USSR, and died being used to tear it apart.

ExecutiveResults

Holy crap I actually know someone who was a part of this visit, I'd always assumed it happened post dissolution, crazy that it was in 89.

JewishFish

VastCustard4148

I remember when a couple Soviet destroyers visited Boston in the 1970's. I went on board one of them.

austeninbosten

Even_Echidna6746

One interesting thing about the *Azov* is that it was used to test the S-300F (SA-N-6) that would later be installed on the *Slava* and *Kirov* classes. It replaced the aft Shtorm (SA-N-3) twin arm launcher with 48 VLS cells while the forward one remained. Also another very interesting visit was made to Severomorsk in 1992. with most of the ships still carrying the Soviet naval jack, the visit made all the more impressive by *Kalinin* (a *Kirov*) being out and about in the bay.

potpukovnik

back when these rare meetings were just a huge party. 

Like Open Skies was before things went sour over the last 10-15 years. Visiting crews would carry more booze and gifts than anything else when going on their trips and no one was quite sure they actually got anything useful done, but no one cared.

agha0013

Old_Wallaby_7461

And we all lived happily ever after❤️

Mariusstad20

shellbackpacific

Pic #10 makes it look like the dude is hugging the other guy from behind.

Hydra_Tyrant

Hotdogs and Pepsi: How the USN conquered Savastopol.

-S-P-E-C-T-R-E-

hell_jumper9

This is awesome, thank you for sharing :)

Atesz222

I was 12 in 1989. I hadn’t been beaten down by the world yet - and I had nothing but hope and optimism. After watching the Berlin wall fall, I thought that our culture, music, and yes, colas, had ended the Cold War peacefully. We were all going to be friends. Even China looked like it was opening up. I didn’t understand the myriad of issues behind the scenes at that age. It makes me sad that things developed the way they did, and hope is the last feeling I have for Russia and Ukraine.

OkAd9491

In a significant escalation, Russian forces have reportedly sunk Ukraine's Simferopol, using an unmanned surface vessel for the first time, highlighting a tactical shift in naval warfare.

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