The war in Ukraine has evoked comparisons to past conflicts – from the trench lines that resemble those of the Western Front during the First World War to the fighting around the city of Bakhmut, which was reminiscent of the Battle of Stalingrad during the Second World War.
Now it appears that the Russian Navy is taking a cue from the German Kriegsmarine during the latter conflict in how it is attempting to camouflage its warships in the Black Sea.
According to a report from Open source intelligence and naval analyst H.I. Sutton, the Kremlin has begun to employ a “radical new approach to protecting its most valuable warships from Ukrainian attacks.” This has included a deceptive camouflage scheme that has been applied to the frigate Admiral Essen.
The camouflage is meant to confuse Ukrainian drone operators into mistaking the target, but Sutton noted how well it will work is open to question.
Deceptive and Disruptive
The camouflage is essentially a darker shade applied over the uniform gray scheme, and is an attempt to confuse a drone operator into believing the warship is a less valuable target. Sutton noted that the Kriegsmarine applied a similar camouflage to KMS Bismarck, while it combined elements of both deceptive and disruptive camouflage. The former was a darker paint at the bow and stern, which was meant to confuse the observer – notably a submarine – of the size, and therefore the identity of the ship. The latter disruptive camouflage, which includes irregular geometric shapes and zigzag lines, was meant to confuse the distance of the warship, making it harder to target.
It doesn’t appear that the Russians have employed the disruptive, also known as dazzle camouflage – or at least not yet. It had proved to be quite effective during the First World War, but improvements in range finders, along with threats from aircraft, meant it was largely obsolete just a generation later. It is still possible we could see a comeback of dazzle as the thinking could be that anything that confuses a drone operator for even a few seconds would buy the defenders valuable time to counter the threat.
Ukraine has already conducted a number of daring raids with sea-skimming drones, and the Russian Navy must know its warships are essentially little more than stationary targets when in port. Moreover, such efforts could be entirely in vain.
The camouflage of past wars was employed at a time before social media quickly shared images. Kyiv almost certainly knows that the frigate Admiral Essen has received a new paint job – so unless the Russian sailors are going to be repainting the ship daily, this strategy won’t likely be all that successful!
Protecting Crimea – Comrade Flipper?
The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet is just one component of the Kremlin’s efforts to protect Crimea – which Kyiv has vowed to take back.
The Russian Navy has also doubled the number of specially trained dolphins, which it deployed to protect the fleet as well as Crimea from Ukrainian attacks. Moscow is also believed to be training more combat dolphins, the UK’s Ministry of Defence recently warned.
The MoD cited new satellite images that show “at least four layers of nets and booms across the harbor entrance. In recent weeks, these defences have highly likely also been augmented by an increased number of trained marine mammals.”
The United States Naval Institute further shared images on social media of where it believed the dolphins may be patrolling the harbor. Dolphins are not the only sea mammals that have been essentially conscripted into the Russian military.
“In Arctic waters, the navy also uses Beluga whales and seals,” the MoD said.
In addition, the British ministry said that while Russia has trained animals for a range of missions, the ones housed in Sevastopol harbor are intended to counter enemy divers.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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