“We never lie as much as before the elections, during the war and after the hunt,” said Georges Clemenceau. Nearly a century after his disappearance, there is no doubt that the “Tiger” would not have changed his opinion… This is why any information coming from Ukraine or Russia should be taken with caution, both others having an interest in playing with the truth, whether to maintain the morale of their troops or for propaganda purposes.
In recent days, the Ukrainian general staff has claimed several successful strikes against Russian military assets. If this could be confirmed for some, the reality is nuanced for others.
Thus, at the beginning of April, kyiv claimed to have put out of service no less than fourteen tactical bombers, notably Su-34 “Fullbacks”, during an attack against the Morozovsk base, located in the Rostov region, with more than 300 km from the front line. However, examination of the photographs taken by satellite and provided by Planet Labs did not make it possible to confirm this assessment, especially since the damage inflicted on this right of way appeared to be minimal.
Same thing for the recent attack against the Djankoï base [Crimée]. If the destruction of elements of S-300/S-400 air defense systems could be confirmed by satellite imagery, the situation was different for the helicopters and the Zircon hypersonic missile depot as the Ukrainian general staff had assured to have touched. At least, no tangible evidence has come to support his assertions.
A priori, the same goes for the rescue catamaran “Kommouna” which, assigned to the Russian Black Sea Fleet, would have been put out of service by a strike carried out by the Ukrainian navy against the Sevastopol naval base. [Crimée], with R-360 Neptune missiles. “The nature of the damage is being verified, but it is clear that the ship is no longer able to fulfill its functions,” she assured on April 21.
Later, a video purported to show a fire aboard this more than 100-year-old ship [il a été admis au service à l’époque du Tsar Nicolas II] was broadcast on social networks. To tell the truth, there is nothing to indicate that it is indeed the Kommouna.
In any case, satellite imagery, provided by Planet Labs and analyzed by The War Zone, does not conclusively confirm the Ukrainian navy’s assertions. Photographs taken before and after the strike [soit les 20 et 22 avril] do not in fact show any damage on the quay where the Kommouna is moored. Additionally, it appears to be intact. However, it is not impossible that it could have been damaged by missile fragments… But they are not visible on the photos.
Although 100 years old, the Kommouna brings a unique capability to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Especially since it has been modernized several times, including the integration of a remote-controlled underwater vehicle and an AS28 mini-rescue submarine, which can dive up to 1000 meters deep.
