ARE THE RUSSIANS TAKING A CUE FROM THE ROLLING STONES WHEN IT COMES TO CAMOUFLAGING NAVY SHIPS? NEW SATELLITE IMAGES OF RUSSIA’S BLACK SEA FLEET SHOWS WHEN THE RUSSIANS SEE A GRAY SHIP, THEY WANT IT PAINTED BLACK. BLACK AS NIGHT. BLACK AS COAL. WELL, NOT ALL OF THE SHIP, JUST THE BOW AND STERN.

THE NEW COLOR SCHEME SHOWED UP ON THE ADMIRAL ESSEN, A PRIMARY BEAST OF BURDEN FOR RUSSIA IN THE UKRAINE WAR. THE ESSEN IS ONE OF TWO RUSSIAN MISSILE FRIGATES IN THE BLACK SEA THAT CAN HOLD EIGHT KALIBR CRUISE MISSILES, MAKING THEM PRIME TARGETS FOR THE UKRAINIANS WHO WOULD NO DOUBT GET SOME SATISFACTION SEEING THEM SINK WITH ONE HIT TO THE BODY, OR HULL IN THIS CASE.

USING ODD PAINT JOBS AND COLOR SCHEMES ON NAVY VESSELS IS NOTHING NEW, IT JUST HASN’T BEEN DONE VERY MUCH SINCE WORLD WAR II. DECEPTIVE & DAZZLE CAMOUFLAGE WERE USED IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONFUSE FAR AWAY EYES.

SO, WHAT MADE THE RUSSIANS DECIDE TO LET IT LOOSE AND REVIVE THE DECADES-OLD PRACTICE? PART OF THE REASONING MAY BE TO CONFUSE ALL OF THE OPEN-SOURCE INTELLIGENCE OUTLETS WANTING TO SHINE A LIGHT ON RUSSIAN NAVAL MOVEMENTS. ANOTHER REASON IS TO COUNTER THE SURGING THREAT OF UKRAINE’S UNMANNED SURFACE VEHICLES. THE AQUATIC DRONES ARE ALREADY IN USE, ATTACKING RUSSIAN VESSELS LIKE MIDNIGHT RAMBLERS.

BY PAINTING THE BOWS AND STERNS BLACK, THE THEORY GOES UKRAINIAN DRONE OPERATORS DOING THE DIRTY WORK MAY BE CONFUSED BY THE SHIP’S NEW APPEARANCE, AND NOT STRIKE. BUT THE RUSSIAN’S KNOW YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TWO-TONE PAINT JOB REMAINS A MYSTERY.

FOR MORE UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACT REPORTING ON RUSSIA AND THE WAR IN UKRAINE, HEAD OVER TO S-A-N DOT COM. FOR MORE ROLLING STONES PUNS, I’M SORRY, BUT, IT’S ALL OVER NOW.