Myrny (Ukraine) (AFP) -
By Katherine Haddon
11 hours ago
Russia has
deliberately sunk three of its own ships to block Ukrainian navy
vessels entering a lake off the Black Sea, officers say, highlighting
Moscow's determination to wear down the morale of Kiev's forces in
Crimea.
The Ochakov -- a
Soviet-era warship decommissioned in 2011 and set to be sold for scrap
-- was towed to the entrance to Lake Donuzlav on Crimea's western coast
from the Russian base at Sevastopol on Thursday and blown up.
It
capsized and, along with two smaller Russian vessels, is now blocking
the narrow gap between two spits of land, its hull beaten by rough Black
Sea waves.
Ukraine's navy has
limited resources and suffered a major blow last week when its chief
Denis Berezovsky switched allegiance to the pro-Russian Crimean
authorities and a new chief was appointed.
But
officers at a base near where the Russians sank the ship have no doubt
what the Russians were trying to do and insist they will not be shaken
by the tactics.
"It is blocked
so we cannot get out," said Captain Viktor Shmyganovsky,
second-in-command at the base in Novoozerne, one of the four biggest in
Crimea.
"If it wasn't blocked, we
could have taken our ships to Odessa and it would stop them being seized
by Russian forces. We would be more powerful in alliance with ships in
Odessa."
Ukraine's navy headquarters is in Sevastopol, where
Russia's Black Sea Fleet was founded under Imperial Russia 230 years
ago, but is currently barricaded by pro-Russian militants.Odessa, further round the coast into Ukraine and the country's largest port, offers a safer option amid the current military situation in Crimea, a semi-autonomous region of Ukraine where pro-Russian forces have seized control.
- 'Loyal to Ukraine' -
The
Novoozerne base -- built by the Soviets in 1976 and dotted with
decorative Cold War missiles and communications equipment -- flies the
Ukrainian flag prominently and is protected by a handful of troops armed
with Kalashnikovs.
While Ukrainian officers would not disclose exactly how many men are based there, it is thought to be in the dozens.
After
the ships were blown up, the commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet,
Admiral Alexander Vitko, came to the base trying to get them to switch
sides, said Shmyganovsky.
"He
wanted us to swear for the Russian people. Members of the navy gave an
honourable answer to the admiral -- Ukraine's soldiers will remain
faithful to Ukraine's people," the small, neatly-dressed officer added.
"A few military helicopters
and planes were sent here (after the ships were sunk) and they were
trying to break down our morale."
Officers
at the base declined to confirm how many Ukrainian ships were currently
in Lake Donuzlav, while hinting at submarine capability.
But
Ukraine's navy is around a tenth of the size of Russia's and suffers
from "inadequate finances", according to London-based military affairs
think-tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Despite the odds stacking
up against them, the Ukrainian navy is determined to stand its ground
to the end in this storied naval territory, said Shmyganovsky.
"From
history, we know that those who cannot use political means resort to
weapons instead. An admiral once said Sevastopol never gives up and we
can say the same about other Ukrainian navy units," he added.
"As
you know, no Ukrainian navy units have put down their weapons except
Admiral Berezovksy. None of the others swore for the Crimean or Russian
people. We're staying loyal to the Ukrainian people."
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