Video & Multimedia

Russia has three fleets:
-- Black Sea Fleet, HQ at Sevastopol in Crimea
-- Pacific Fleet, HQ at Vladivostok.
-- North Fleet, HQ at Arkhangelsk

Yes, I know, it's a bit more complicated than my description but the three fleets are the bulk of the Russian navy.

Check out a map of Russia. The North and Pacific fleets are in arctic or sub-arctic waters where they are ice-bound for several months a year. While submarines aren't affected by ice, the North and Pacific surface fleets are severely restricted in their operations 3-4 months each year.

The Black Sea Fleet operating out of Sevastopol is the only Russian fleet with year-round warm water access. Thus, the destruction -- or even the near-destruction -- of the Black Sea Fleet installations on Crimea are crippling blows to Russia's ability to project power into the Middle East and thence into the Atlantic.

In fact, I will argue that attacks on Black Sea Fleet installations are a major escalation of the war.

We are in WW III -- Ukraine is doing the fighting and dying, we are paying for it. It will not end any time soon.