It was reported( from some media source) the Su-33 detachment had been conducting land-based ops, 1-2 days post incident.. Could be co-incidence, but I believe Waylander is correct on his supposition - Syrian air-ops would have been limited in their efficiency.
She will receive upgrade and overhaul. Details on what exactly it will entail are lacking, though a UAV squadron has been mentioned, and removing the Granit AShMs also. We will likely see a renewed airwing, less weapons, and more aircraft, as well as bigger munitions storage facilities. The rest is all unclear.
Those replacement timelines are extremely optimistic. I don't think we will see an operational replacement in 2025. I think the VMF will be lucky to have a new carrier by 2030.
Maybe but it doesn't mean that we should stop being reminded of it or it or that people should stop writing about it.
It's easy to ask such a question when one's not in a similar situation.
Escaping through an active front line isn't necessarily safer than staying put. Until recently, the government resisted international efforts to broker ceasefires long enough for those who wished to leave safely. The first such ceasefire was a result of Russian pressure, IIRC - & I think it didn't last as long as it was meant to. There have also been reports, as mentioned here, of attempts to leave being blocked by some of the rebels, & also of people who've got out being treated as rebels once they reach government-held territory.
It's very hard to cross the front line and when Russia forced Assad to set up humanitarian corridors, the rebels inside prevented the civilians from using them, reportedly going to far as to execute those who tried. There are also conflicting reports of those corridors being hit with mortar and machinegun fire with the two sides blaming each other for it. Basically the rebels wanted the civilians as a human shield, and the SAA made no effort to counter this.
Big issue across the board, isn't the lead time on more basic PGMs something like 2 years if you order them from the manufacturer?
Looking at various reports/articles that have appeared and based on past conflicts; there are various reasons [some of which I mentioned] why a lot of civilians are still stuck there and why some have chosen to stay. Nobody wants to live under constant danger with the threat of being killed on a daily basis. If they have chosen to stay then obviously they felt that trying to get out poses a greater danger and their best chance of surviving is to stay and hope the fighting ends or moves away. On the other hand, many have tried to leave but were unable to. Numerous accounts have mentioned rebels [not sure who these rebels are] preventing people from leaving and people prevented from leaving due to heavy fighting.
There are no active humanitarian corridors right now though. What do you mean by "safe corridor"?
It was probably an improvised crossing point set up to get the locals out. This makes a lot of sense. They might have avoided announcing the corridors in the hopes of avoiding attacks on the civilians trying to leave.
