"Given that list, Rutte was in no mood to mince words. But he pointed out that despite all the trouble Russia can cause, people should not give in to fear that inflates its capabilities into something unstoppable. In four years of war and with more than 1 million casualties, Russia has largely failed to advance in Ukraine, for instance, and its global military ambitions have been hobbled after losing bases in Syria and having numerous Black Sea Fleet ships sunk by Ukrainian drones and missiles."
"Russia's "Mediterranean task force was once a mix of surface ships, submarines, and support vessels," Rutte said. (Here's the video.) "Now, in effect, there is hardly any Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean left. There is a lone and broken Russian submarine limping home from patrol. What a change from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October. Today, it seems more like the hunt for the nearest mechanic.""
Recent Russian provocations against Europe include the charging of 15 people after devices hidden in parcels detonated across Europe last year. Fear can inflate perceptions of Russian capabilities despite limited success; in four years of war and with more than one million casualties, Russia has largely failed to advance in Ukraine. Global military ambitions have been constrained after losing bases in Syria and sustaining numerous Black Sea Fleet losses to Ukrainian drones and missiles. The Mediterranean task force, once composed of surface ships, submarines, and support vessels, now shows hardly any presence, with a lone broken submarine limping home from patrol.
Read at Ars Technica
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