By Lyle Goldstein
The sinking of the Moskva two years ago seems to have made a major impression on Chinese naval strategists.
It’s paradoxical that the maritime theater of conflict has turned out to be one of the few bright spots for Kyiv in the conflict following from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, since Ukraine has no navy to speak of. Nevertheless, it has made the Kremlin pay a steep price for aggression and has now sunk or disabled an impressive one-third of all the warships of Russia’s vaunted Black Sea Fleet. This warship “massacre” began in earnest two years ago, when on April 14, 2022, Ukraine succeeded in sinking the missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, striking an enormous psychological blow against the Russian invasion.
As we’ve noted in this series of articles, Chinese military strategists have been watching the Ukraine War closely, and events in the Black Sea, with special attention. Why would China be interested in uncovering the secrets of Ukraine’s success against a much larger fleet? Certainly, they are concerned that their own navy, which has grown impressively over the past decade, could also be vulnerable to similar asymmetric tactics.
For that reason, it is quite interesting to examine a very detailed and exceptionally candid appraisal of the sinking of the Moskva that appeared in one of China’s leading naval strategy magazines, Shipborne Weapons (舰载武器), published by an institute affiliated with the major shipbuilding conglomerate, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The article implies that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and Chinese shipbuilders are seeking to learn lessons from Ukraine’s successful campaign against the Black Sea Fleet.
This piece was originally published in The Diplomat on April 15, 2024. Read more HERE.