title: Black Sea Fleet

text: He was ordered to scuttle his ships by Lenin but refused to do so. Most ships returned to Sevastopol, where they first came under German control. In November 1918 they came under Allied control who later gave the ships to Wrangel's fleet of the Whites.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In 1919, following the collapse of the Central Powers' occupation in Western Russia, the Red Fleet of Ukraine was established out of certain remnants of the Russian Imperial Fleet. However, subsequently these elements were either scuttled or captured by the Western Allies. During the ensuing Russian Civil War, the chaotic political and strategic situation in southern Russia permitted the intervening Western allies to occupy Odessa, Sevastopol and other centres with relative ease.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Most of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet became part of the "Russian Squadron" of Wrangel's armed forces. Following the defeat of anti-Bolshevik forces and the evacuation of Crimea by White forces, the fleet itself sailed to Tunisia. Out of those ships, some passed to the French Navy while others were sold as scrap.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: With the defeat of the anti-Bolshevik Armed Forces of South Russia, the Soviet government took control of all naval elements. The few ships that remained in the Black Sea were scrapped in the 1920s and a large scale new construction programme began in the 1930s. Over 500 new ships were built during that period and a massive expansion of coastal infrastructure took place. The Black Sea Fleet was commanded by Vice Admiral F.S. Oktyabrskiy on the outbreak of war with Germany in June 1941.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: During World War II despite the scale of the German/Axis advance in southern Russia, and the capture of Crimea by Axis forces in mid-1942, the Fleet, though badly mauled, gave a credible account of itself as it fought alongside the Red Army during the Siege of Odessa and the Battle of Sevastopol.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Soviet hospital ship was sunk on 7 November 1941 by German aircraft while evacuating civilians and wounded soldiers from Crimea. It has been estimated that approximately 5,000 to 7,000 people were killed during the sinking, making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history. There were only 8 survivors.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: With the end of World War II, the Soviet Union effectively dominated the Black Sea region. The Soviet Union controlled the entire north and east of the Black Sea while pro-Soviet regimes were installed in Romania and Bulgaria. As members of the Warsaw Pact, the Romanian and Bulgarian navies supplemented the strength of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. Only Turkey remained outside the Soviet Black Sea security regime and the Soviets initially pressed for joint control of the Bosporus Straits with Turkey; a position which Turkey rejected.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In 1952, Turkey decided to join NATO, placing the Bosporus Straits in the Western sphere of influence. Nevertheless, the terms of the Montreux Convention limited NATO's options with respect to directly reinforcing Turkey's position in the Black Sea. The Soviets, in turn, had some of their naval options in the Mediterranean restricted by the Montreux Convention limitations.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In the later post-war period, along with the Northern Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet provided ships for the 5th Operational Squadron in the Mediterranean, which confronted the United States Navy during the Arab-Israeli wars, notably during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In 1989, the 126th Motor Rifle Division at Simferopol was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet from the Odessa Military District. Also that year, the 119th Fighter Aviation Division, with the 86th Guards, 161st, and 841st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiments, joined the Fleet from the 5th Air Army. The 86th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment became part of the Moldovan Air Force upon the breakup of the Soviet Union. The 841st at Meria airport (between Poti and Batumi in the Adjar ASSR) (Georgian SSR) became the 841st independent Guards Anti-Submarine Helicopter Regiment in May 1991 and was disbanded in October 1992.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: With the fall of the Soviet Union and the demise of the Warsaw Pact, the military importance of the fleet was degraded and it suffered significant funding cuts and the loss of its major missions.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In 1992, the major part of the personnel, armaments and coastal facilities of the Fleet fell under formal jurisdiction of the newly independent Ukraine as they were situated on Ukrainian territory. Later, the Ukrainian government ordered the establishment of its own Ukrainian Navy based on the Black Sea Fleet; several ships and ground formations declared themselves Ukrainian.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: However, this immediately led to conflicts with the majority of officers who appeared to be loyal to Russia. According to pro-Ukrainian sailors they were declared "drunkards and villains" and they and their families were harassed. They have also claimed that their names were branded "traitors to Russia" on local graffiti. Simultaneously, pro-Russian separatist groups became active in the local politics of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol where the major naval bases were situated, and started coordinating their efforts with pro-Moscow seamen.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Presidents Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine and Boris Yeltsin of Russia negotiated terms for dividing the fleet, and to ease the tensions, on 10 June 1995 the two governments signed an interim treaty, establishing a joint Russo-Ukrainian Black Sea Fleet under bilateral command (and Soviet Navy flag) until a full-scale partition agreement could be reached. Formally, the Fleet's Commander was to be appointed by a joint order of the two countries' presidents. However, Russia still dominated the Fleet unofficially, and a Russian admiral was appointed as Commander; the majority of the fleet personnel adopted Russian citizenship. Minor tensions between the Fleet and the new Ukrainian Navy (such as electricity cut-offs and sailors' street-fighting) continued.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Moscow mayor Yuriy Luzhkov campaigned to annex the city of Sevastopol, which housed the fleet's headquarters and main naval base, and in December the Russian Federation Council officially endorsed the claim. Spurred by these territorial claims, Ukraine proposed a "special partnership" with NATO in January 1997.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On 28 May 1997, Russia and Ukraine signed several agreements regarding the fleet including the Partition Treaty, establishing two independent national fleets and dividing armaments and bases between them. Ukraine agreed to lease major parts of its facilities to the Russian Black Sea Fleet until 2017. However, permanent tensions on the lease details continued. The Fleet's main base was still situated in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol. In 2009 the Yushchenko Ukrainian government declared that the lease would not be extended and that the fleet would have to leave Sevastopol by 2017.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Due to the lack of fleet facilities in Russia, the former naval area at the Port of Novorossiysk was revived in September 1994, and officially reorganised as Novorossiysk Naval Base in 1997. The Russian Federation planned to house the headquarters and the bulk of the fleet there, and undertook a major upgrade of Novorossiysk military facilities starting in 2005 and finishing in 2022.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In April 2010 President Yanukovych renegotiated and extended the Russian leasehold until 2042 and an option for an additional five years until 2047 plus consideration of further renewals. This deal proved controversial in Ukraine. It appeared to violate the constitutional ban on basing foreign military forces, and would eventually lead to high treason charges.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In this regard, relations between Russia and Ukraine over the status of the Fleet continued to be strained. In an August 2009 letter to Russian President Medvedev, Ukrainian President Yushchenko complained about alleged "infringements of bilateral agreements and Ukrainian legislation"


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In June 2009, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine said that after December 13, 2009, all officers from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) represented at the Black Sea Fleet would be required to leave Ukraine. From then, the Security Service of Ukraine would ensure the security of the Black Sea Fleet, including Russian sailors on Ukrainian territory. However, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, employees of the FSB working at the Black Sea Fleet facilities were to remain on Ukrainian territory "in line with bilateral agreements". In 2010, based on an agreement between the Ukrainian and Russian governments, military counterintelligence officers from the Federal Security Service returned to the Black Sea Fleet base.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Despite these differences, joint exercises between the Ukrainian Navy and the Black Sea Fleet of Russia resumed with a command-staff exercise in June 2010 after a seven-year interval. In May 2011, Russia and Ukraine resumed their joint "Peace Fairway" (Farvater Mira) naval exercises.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: The newly independent nation of Georgia, which also hosted several bases of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet when it was the Georgian SSR, also claimed a share of the Fleet, including 32 naval vessels formerly stationed at Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti. Not a CIS member at that time, Georgia was not, however, included in the initial negotiations in January 1992. Additionally, some low-importance bases situated in the Russian-backed breakaway autonomy of Abkhazia soon escaped any Georgian control.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In 1996, Georgia resumed its demands, and the Russian refusal to allot Georgia a portion of the ex-Soviet navy became another bone of contention in the progressively deteriorating Georgian-Russian relations. This time, Ukraine endorsed Tbilisi's claims, turning over several patrol boats to the Georgian Navy and starting to train Georgian crews, but was unable to include in the final fleet deal a transfer of the formerly Poti-based vessels to Georgia. Later, the rest of the Georgian share was decided to be ceded to Russia in return for diminution of debt.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Russia employed part of the fleet during the 2008 Georgian conflict. Russian units operating off Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region resulted in a reported skirmish and sinking of a ship of the Georgian Navy. Since the 2008 South Ossetia war the Russian Black Sea Fleet has not taken part in any joint naval exercises involving Georgian warships. However, such a statement has little meaning since the Georgian Navy has ceased to exist (early 2009 it was merged with the Georgian coast guard).


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: The 2014 political crisis in Ukraine rapidly engulfed Crimea where pro-Russian separatist sentiment was strong. When the Russian Government determined to seize Crimea, specialist Russian military units appear to have played the central role. In March, the Ukrainians claimed that units of the 18th Motor Rifle Brigade, 31st Air Assault Brigade and 22nd Spetsnaz Brigade were deployed and operating in Crimea, instead of Black Sea Fleet personnel, which violated international agreements signed by Ukraine and Russia. Nevertheless, at minimum the Black Sea Fleet played a supporting role including with respect to preventing the departure of Ukrainian naval vessels from Crimea. Other sources suggested that the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Fleet was also involved.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: After the 2014 Crimean crisis, the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Navy were evicted from their bases and subsequently withdrew from Crimea. During the occupation, Russian forces seized 54 out of 67 ships of the Ukrainian Navy. According to sources from Black Sea Fleet Headquarters, inspections of all ships were to be done by the end of 2014.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On 8 April 2014 an agreement was reached between Russia and Ukraine to return Ukrainian Navy materials to Ukraine proper. The greater portion of the Ukrainian naval ships and vessels were then returned to Ukraine but Russia suspended this process after Ukraine did not renew its unilaterally declared ceasefire on 1 July 2014 in the conflict in the Donbas. According to the fleet commander Aleksandr Vitko, this happened because the vessels were old "and, if used [by Ukraine], could hurt its own people".


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: From that point, Russia proceeded to consolidate its military position in Crimea, which it now regards as an integral part of the Russian Federation, though this position is not one supported by most of the international community.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: The Russian seizure of Crimea in 2014 changed the situation and role of the Black Sea Fleet significantly. Analysis undertaken by Micheal Peterson of the US Naval War College suggests that since the Russian seizure of Crimea, the modernization of Russian shore-based assets and of the Black Sea Fleet itself has assisted in re-establishing Russian military dominance in the region. Specifically Peterson argues: "Russian maritime dominance in the Black Sea is back. The shift was made possible by Moscow's 2014 seizure of Crimea and subsequent buildup of combat and maritime law enforcement capabilities in the region".


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Prior to the annexation of Crimea, divergent announcements were made concerning the future composition of the fleet. In June 2010, Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky announced that Russia was reviewing plans for the naval modernization of the Black Sea Fleet. The plans include 15 new warships and submarines by 2020. These vessels were to partially replace the reported decommissioning of "Kerch," (decommissioned in 2011 and sunk as a blockship in 2014), several large support ships, and a diesel-electric submarine. Also in 2010, Russian Navy Headquarters sources said that, by 2020, six frigates of the Project 22350 "Admiral Gorshkov" class, six submarines of Project 677 Lada class, two large landing ships of Project 11711 "Ivan Gren" class and four class-unspecified ships would be delivered. Due to the obsolescence of the Beriev Be-12 by 2015, they would be replaced with Il-38s. Sukhoi Su-24M aircraft were planned to be upgraded to Su-24M2 at the same time.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Since the annexation of Crimea, the composition of the Black Sea Fleet has shifted to focus on the Improved Kilo-class submarines instead of the Lada, the s and at least three new classes of missile corvettes (the , and Buyan-M classes). The deployment of the "Admiral Gorshkov"-class frigate with the Black Sea Fleet was still anticipated, though in reduced numbers. The replacement of the Black Sea Fleet's Soviet-era missile boats and corvettes with vessels of more modern design has been a priority since 2010. A similar modernization is also taking place in the Baltic Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla. Utilizing Russia's internal waterways provides the Russian Navy with the capacity to transfer both corvettes and other light units, such as landing craft, among its three western fleets and the Caspian Flotilla as may be required. Analysis in May 2022 suggested that it may be feasible for the Russian Navy even to move its "Kilo"-class submarines between the Black Sea and the Baltic via the internal waterways.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: The projection of power into the Mediterranean has also returned as a significant role for the Black Sea Fleet with the reconstitution of the Russian Navy's 5th Operational Squadron. Both the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla have supported Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War with units from the former now routinely deployed into the Mediterranean. The deployment of submarines from the Black Sea Fleet to the Mediterranean has become a routine occurrence (though the need to send them for "maintenance" in the Baltic, so as to comply with terms of the Montreux Convention, lengthens the timeframe of such deployments significantly). In late 2021 it was reported that one of the new "Priboy-class" helicopter assault ships, the "Mitrofan Moskalenko", had been earmarked to enter service with the Black Sea Fleet in the latter 2020s in the role of fleet flagship. If confirmed such a deployment would significantly enhance the fleet's power projection capabilities.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Also significant is the build-up of Russian surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile assets in the region. Dmitry Gorenburg of the Centre for Naval Analysis (CNA) has noted that: "Russia's expanded military footprint in Crimea allows it to carry out a range of operations that it was not capable of prior to 2014. The deployment of S-400, Bastion, and Bal missiles allows the Russian military to establish an anti-access/area denial zone (A2/AD) covering almost all of the Black Sea. By using a combination of ground-based and ship-based missiles, backed with strong electronic warfare capabilities, the Russian military can inhibit military movement into the Black Sea and deny freedom of action to an opponent if it does make it into the theater. The long-range sea-, air-, and ground-launched missiles deny access, while shorter-range coastal and air defense systems focus on the area denial mission. The result is several interlocking air defense zones".


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Ongoing technological upgrades of this already robust SAM network are planned for the 2020s. Others, such as Michael Kofman of CNA, argue that while there is no A2/AD doctrine or term in Russian military strategy, Russian forces nevertheless are organized at an operational and strategic level to deploy a wide range of overlapping defensive and offensive capabilities that extend beyond just one theatre of operations like the Black Sea.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: The evident American response to the dense shore-based anti-ship and air defence capabilities that Russia has developed in the Black Sea region, and elsewhere, has been to place greater emphasis on striking at potential Black Sea and other targets utilizing stand-off air-launched cruise missiles deployed on American long-range bombers. Additionally, the United States, the United Kingdom and Turkey have entered into contracts to supply new corvettes, missile-armed fast attack craft, patrol boats and unmanned air vehicles to the Ukrainian Navy.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In 2020, the Black Sea Fleet obtained seven new warships and auxiliary ships, including corvette "Grayvoron", patrol ship "Pavel Derzhavin", seagoing tug "Sergey Balk", as well as a harbour tugs and three hydrographic survey vessels. In 2021, the same number of vessels should enter service.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On 29 January 2021, three US naval vessels entered the Black Sea for the first time in three years. On 1 February, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky argued for NATO membership for Ukraine. On 19 March, another significant US naval deployment to the Black Sea took place, as cruiser USS "Monterey" and destroyer USS "Thomas Hudner" entered the sea on 19 and 20 March respectively. Prior to the scheduled deployment, on 12 March Russian cruiser "Moskva" made an exit to sea and on 19 March all six submarines of the Black Sea Fleet went to sea, which was an unprecedented event.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Russian ground forces also started a buildup on the border with Ukraine. On 2 April, Zelensky had his first telephone conversation with Biden, and on 6 April he called NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg pressuring NATO to speed up Ukrainian path to the membership. On 8 April, Russia started moving ten of its Caspian Flotilla warships to the Black Sea. Six amphibious and three artillery boats of "Serna" and "Shmel" classes, as well as a hydrographic boat GS-599, were reported in transit, while Black Sea Fleet frigate "Admiral Essen" conducted an artillery exercise, usually done to raise the readiness for the amphibious landing. The same day, the US decided to send two warships to the Black Sea.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On 9 April 2021, tensions rose further and Ukraine promised not to attack the separatists, while Russia considered intervening to prevent bloodshed. On the same day, two Black Sea Fleet corvettes, "Vishny Volochyok" and "Gravoron", conducted an exercise. The two US destroyers were clarified by Turkey to be USS "Roosevelt" and USS "Donald Cook", while Putin stressed the importance of the Montreux Convention in a telephone conversation with Turkish president Recep Erdogan. On 14 April, the deployment of the two US destroyers was cancelled. On 17 April, amphibious ships "Aleksandr Otrakovsky" and "Kondoponga" of the Northern Fleet and "Kaliningrad" and "Korolyov" of the Baltic Fleet strengthened the amphibious warfare capabilities of the Black Sea Fleet. On 30 April, the cruiser "Moskva" fired a Vulkan anti-ship missile for the first time.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In November, further tensions started amidst the build-up of Russian ground forces on the Ukraine border. On 2 November, the destroyer USS "Porter" entered the Black Sea, followed on 25 November by the destroyer USS "Arleigh Burke". In late October, the Russian Black Sea fleet held a large exercise with a cruiser, a frigate and three corvettes.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On 23 June 2021, the United Kingdom's undertook a freedom of navigation patrol through the disputed waters around the Crimean Peninsula. The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and border guards said they fired warning shots from coast guard patrol ships and dropped bombs from a Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft in the path of "Defender" after, according to the Russian Defence Ministry, it had allegedly strayed for about 20 minutes as far as 3 km (2 miles) into waters off the coast of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 in a move mostly unrecognised internationally. The UK military denied any warning shots were fired and said the ship was in innocent passage in Ukraine's territorial sea, later clarifying that heavy guns were fired three miles astern and could not be considered to be warning shots.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: A build-up of Russian forces around Ukraine and in Belarus began toward the end of 2021, ostensibly for exercises. In February 2022, the Black Sea Fleet was reinforced by six landing ships: three "Ropucha"-class vessels ("Minsk" (127), "Korolev" (130) and "Kaliningrad" (102)) were drawn from the Baltic Fleet while two ("Georgy Pobedonosets" (016) and "Olenegorsky Gornyak" (012)) came from the Northern Fleet. The "Ivan Gren"-class landing ship, "Pyotr Morgunov" (117) also deployed to the Black Sea from the Northern Fleet. The 22nd Army Corps (subordinate to the Black Sea Fleet) was also reinforced, including by the 247th Regiment of the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division as well as by the 56th Guards Air Assault Regiment, subordinate to the same division. On the eve of the conflict, it was reported that the headquarters of the 58th Combined Arms Army had deployed to Crimea commanding between 12 and 17 battalion tactical groups.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 and it was initially reported that this included an amphibious landing at Odessa by elements of Russian Naval Infantry and the Black Sea Fleet. However, the report of a landing at Odessa on February 24 subsequently proved to be false. On February 24, the cruiser "Moskva" and the patrol ship "Vasily Bykov" bombarded Snake Island in the Danube Delta and captured it from its Ukrainian garrison. On February 26 it was reported that Russian forces made an amphibious assault at Mariupol utilizing half of their landing ships in the Black Sea. A second Russian amphibious group was said still to be positioned in the vicinity of Odessa.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On February 28, Turkey indicated that it was closing the Dardanelles Straits to all foreign warships for the duration of the conflict. Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, argued that the move was consistent with terms of the Montreux Convention. An exception would be allowed for Russian ships returning from the Mediterranean to Black Sea bases where they were registered.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: As of early March the Ukrainian navy was confirmed to have lost two vessels: the frigate "Hetman Sahaidachny", scuttled by its crew to avoid capture, and the patrol vessel "Sloviansk", reported sunk by Russian action on March 3. On March 7 it was reported that the Russian patrol ship "Vasily Bykov" may have been damaged by Ukrainian shore-based multiple-launch rocket fire. However, the ship was subsequently reported as having entered Sevastopol on March 16 with no obvious damage.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On March 14, the Russian source RT reported that the Russian Armed Forces had captured about a dozen Ukrainian ships in Berdyansk. The vessels reported as captured included two "Gyurza-M"-class artillery boats (including "Akkerman"), the "Matka"-class missile boat "Pryluky", a Project 1124P (Grisha II)-class corvette (likely an already decommissioned vessel given the absence of active ships of this class in the Ukrainian navy), a "Zhuk"-class patrol boat, a "Yevgenya"-class minesweeper, the "Polnocny"-class landing ship "Yuri Olefirenko" and a "Ondatra"-class landing craft.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On March 19, 2022, the Deputy Commander of Russian Black Sea Fleet Captain First Rank Andrey Nikolaevich Paliy was reportedly killed in action near Mariupol in Ukraine. On March 24, the Ukrainian military hit and destroyed the Russian Tapir-class landing ship "Saratov" at the Port of Berdiansk.Also it became known that "Saratov" has been salvaged and will be towed to Kerch, Crimea. Two "Ropucha"-class landing ships were possibly damaged in the same attack.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On March 30 it was reported that, as part of an operation by Russian special forces, the Ukrainian navy Project 1824B reconnaissance ship "Pereyaslav" was reportedly hit by gunfire at the mouth of the Dnieper river. The extent of the damage was unknown.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In other parts of March, the Russian Navy bombed some civilian ship, including a Cargo ship belonging to Bangladesh.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On 13 April 2022, "Moskva", the fleet's flagship, was severely damaged after an explosion. The Ukrainian government claimed it had hit the ship with two Neptune cruise missiles. The Russian government claimed the damage was a result of an ammunition explosion. According to the Russian government, everyone on the ship was evacuated. On 14 April, the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the ship had sunk. On 15 April, a United States senior defense official confirmed that the ship was hit by two Ukrainian Neptune missiles about 65 nautical miles south of Odessa. On May 6 a letter from the Black Sea Fleet's prosecutor general's office to the family of one of the sailors lost on the "Moskva" was made public. Families will not be receiving compensation as "the sinking took place in international waters by accident".


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: In early May, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed two Russian Raptor-class patrol boats along with a Serna Class landing craft using a Ukrainian Baykar Bayraktar TB2 Unmanned Air Combat Vehicle (UCAV) near Snake Island.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On May 8, Ukrainian officials released footage showing the destruction of two Raptor-class patrol boats and the damaging of a third one, adding that 46 Russian crew members were killed during the operation.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On May 12, Ukrainian news media carried reports that, according to the Odesa military spokesman, the Russian logistics vessel "Vsevolod Bobrov" was on fire near Snake Island. Russia denied the claims. Three days later, a US-backed media outlet carried photographs of the ship unharmed moored at Sevastopol. The ship was also seen with the Pantsir-S mobile surface-to-air missile system on board while docked in Sevastopol.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On May 15, four Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea hit Ukrainian military facilities at Yavoriv, near Lviv. The attack was "probably" carried out by submarines. Lviv region's Governor Maxim Kozitsky acknowledged that the target was "completely destroyed".


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On May 17, the Ministry of Defense of Russia reported that seaborne Kalibr missiles struck railway facilities at Starichi station near Lviv the night before. The attack was aimed at NATO weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Governor Maxim Kozitsky confirmed the damage on railway infrastructure. The command of the Ukrainian Air Defence claims the shooting down of three missiles in the area.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On June 17, Russian rescue tug Vasily Bekh was reportedly sunk due to two hits by anti-ship missiles (putatively of type Harpoon) while carrying personnel, weapons, and ammunition to resupply Russian-occupied Snake Island.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On July 31, a drone strike at the fleet headquarters in Sevastopol wounded several people and forced the cancellation of Navy Day commemorations. On August 9, huge explosions occurred at Saky airbase, destroying several fighter planes of the fleet's naval aviation. Some days later, an anonymous Western official said that "[w]e now assess that the events of ..August 9 put more than half of [the] Black Sea fleet's naval aviation combat jets out of use." On August 16, Hvardiiske airbase, a large ammunition dump in Maiske, and an electrical substation in Dzhankoi were hit with explosions, and on August 19 large explosions were heard at Belbek and Russian antiaircraft batteries were active around the Crimean Bridge at Kerch.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: On August 17, Russian state media announced that Viktor Sokolov had been appointed commander of the fleet without any ceremony, apparently due to the yellow terrorist threat level following a series of explosions.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: The Black Sea Fleet, and other Russian ground and air forces in Crimea, are subordinate to the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. The Black Sea Fleet is one component of Russian forces in the Southern Military District and is supported by other Russian military formations in the District, including the 4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army. The Russian Coast Guard and National Guard of Russia provide additional armed patrol capabilities, which have also been expanded since the Russian seizure of Crimea to support the enforcement of Russian territorial claims.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: Black Sea Fleet amphibious vessels being joined by five additional "Ropucha"-class: ("Minsk" (127), "Korolev" (130) and "Kaliningrad" (102) from the Baltic Fleet as well as "Georgy Pobedonosets" (016) and "Olenegorsky Gornyak" (012) from the Northern Fleet); also deployed to the Black Sea from the Northern Fleet is the "Ivan Gren"-class vessel "Pyotr Morgunov" (117); all vessels entered the Black Sea by February 9 and as of March 2022 all were reported on active operations as part of the invasion of Ukraine.


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: 27th Composite Aviation Division (in Crimea but subordinate to 4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army – Rostov-on-Don)


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: 31st Air Defense Division (HQ: Sevastopol) subordinate to the 4th Air and Air Defense Forces Army (HQ: Rostov-on-Don)


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: 51st Air Defense Division (HQ: Rostov-on-Don; with S-400, S-300, Pantsir, Buk SAM systems subordinate to 4th Air Army)


title: Black Sea Fleet

text: The Russian Black Sea Fleet's (BSF) use of leased facilities in Sevastopol and the Crimea was sometimes controversial. A number of incidents took place:


title: George Zimmerman

text: George Michael Zimmerman (born October 5, 1983) is an American man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black boy, in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, 2012. On July 13, 2013, he was acquitted of second-degree murder in "Florida v. George Zimmerman". After his acquittal, Zimmerman was the target of a shooting. The perpetrator was convicted of attempted murder.


title: George Zimmerman

text: George Michael Zimmerman was born on October 5, 1983, in Manassas, Virginia. He is the third of four children, and his siblings include a brother, Robert Jr., and two sisters, Grace and Dawn. His mother, Gladys Cristina ("née" Mesa) Zimmerman, was born in Peru. Zimmerman's maternal great-grandmother was of Afro-Peruvian descent. His father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., is an American of German descent who had a military career of 22 years, first as an Army sergeant and then 10 years at the Department of Defense. Before retiring to Florida in 2002, Zimmerman Sr. had served as a magistrate in Fairfax County's 19th Judicial District.


title: George Zimmerman

text: Zimmerman identifies as Hispanic on voter registration forms. Zimmerman's family was known for being devoutly religious. He was raised as a Catholic and served as an altar boy from age 7 to 17. Zimmerman attended All Saints Catholic School in Manassas before going to public high school. At age 14, Zimmerman joined an after-school Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program because he had wanted to become a Marine. When Zimmerman was 15 years old, he held three part-time jobs on nights and weekends to save up for a car. Zimmerman graduated from Osbourn High School in 2001.


title: George Zimmerman

text: According to the Seminole County voter records, Zimmerman is a member of the Democratic Party. According to his brother Robert, Zimmerman voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Zimmerman later became a critic of Obama.


title: George Zimmerman

text: After graduating from high school, Zimmerman moved to Lake Mary, Florida, a suburb of Orlando, where he was employed by an insurance agency. Zimmerman took classes at night to obtain a license to sell insurance. It was during this time when he became friends with Lee Ann Benjamin, a real estate agent, and her husband John Donnelly, a Sanford attorney. Benjamin and Donnelly would both testify on his behalf at his trial in the death of Martin. According to Donnelly, in 2004 Zimmerman and an African-American friend opened a satellite office of Allstate Insurance, which failed a year later.


title: George Zimmerman

text: In July 2005, Zimmerman was arrested after allegedly assaulting an undercover police officer who was attempting to arrest a friend of his at a bar. The charges were dropped after Zimmerman agreed to enter an alcohol education program. A month later in August, Zimmerman's former fiancé filed a restraining order against him, citing domestic violence as the cause.


title: George Zimmerman

text: Zimmerman married Shellie Dean, a licensed cosmetologist, in 2007. Two years later, they rented a townhouse in the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman had previously been employed at a car dealership and a mortgage audit firm. Zimmerman enrolled in Seminole State College in 2009 and was working on an associate degree in criminal justice. In December 2011 he was allowed to participate in a school graduation ceremony, although he was a course credit shy of his degree. He was completing that credit at the time of the shooting. Zimmerman was employed as an insurance underwriter.


title: George Zimmerman

text: In early 2011, Zimmerman participated in a citizen forum at the Sanford City Hall to protest against the beating of a black homeless man by the son of a white Sanford police officer. During the meeting, Zimmerman claimed he witnessed "disgusting behavior" while participating in a ride-along program with local police; however, the police department said later that it did not know when, if ever, Zimmerman was in that program.


title: George Zimmerman

text: On February 26, 2012, Zimmerman fatally shot 17-year-old African-American high school student Trayvon Martin in The Retreat at Twin Lakes community in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch coordinator in his gated community; Martin was temporarily staying there at the time. The Twin Lakes Neighborhood Watch program was not registered with the National Neighborhood Watch Program, but was administered by the local police department. Following an earlier call from Zimmerman, police arrived within two minutes of a gunshot during an altercation in which Zimmerman fatally shot Martin, who did not possess any weapons. Zimmerman was subsequently taken into custody, treated for head injuries, and questioned for five hours.


title: George Zimmerman

text: The police chief said that Zimmerman was released because there was no evidence to refute Zimmerman's claim of having acted in self-defense. Under Florida's stand-your-ground statute, the police were prohibited by law from making an arrest. The police chief said that Zimmerman had a right to defend himself with lethal force. As news of the case spread, thousands of protesters across the United States called for Zimmerman's arrest and a full investigation. Six weeks after the shooting, amid widespread, intense, and in some cases misleading media coverage, Zimmerman was charged with murder by a special prosecutor appointed by Governor Rick Scott.


title: George Zimmerman

text: Zimmerman's trial began on June 10, 2013, in Sanford. On July 13, a jury acquitted Zimmerman of the charges of second degree murder and manslaughter. For three years, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigated Zimmerman on civil rights charges. In February 2015, the DOJ concluded there was not sufficient evidence that Zimmerman intentionally violated the civil rights of Martin, saying the Zimmerman case did not meet the "high standard" for a federal hate crime prosecution.


title: George Zimmerman

text: After DOJ said it would not charge him with a hate crime, Zimmerman said he felt free to speak his opinion "without fear of retaliation". Zimmerman criticized the government and President Obama. He believed Obama inflamed racial tensions. "He by far overstretched, overreached, even broke the law in certain aspects to where you have an innocent American being prosecuted by the federal government," Zimmerman said.


title: George Zimmerman

text: According to Zimmerman's brother Robert Jr. in 2014, in the year following the trial, Zimmerman was both homeless and jobless. Robert Jr. said that, while he believed his brother's "state of mind" was better, Zimmerman was "a very traumatized person because he has had his liberty taken away from him".


title: George Zimmerman

text: Between the shooting of Trayvon Martin and the trial, Zimmerman gained 100 to 125 pounds (45–57 kg) in about a 16-month period. He weighed over 300 pounds (136 kg) at the trial. His weight was discussed by Fox News and similar media with speculation as to how it might affect the jury's perceptions.


title: George Zimmerman

text: On December 4, 2019, Zimmerman filed a lawsuit against Martin's "parents, prosecutors and state authorities", claiming the parties knew "about or should have known about the witness fraud, obstructed justice, or lied repeatedly under oath in order to cover up their knowledge of the witness fraud".


title: George Zimmerman

text: On July 17, 2013, four days after the trial verdict, Zimmerman and another man helped rescue a family of four from their vehicle after a single car accident in Sanford.


title: George Zimmerman

text: In 2013, Zimmerman's estranged wife called 911 to report that Zimmerman had assaulted her father and was threatening her with a gun. Zimmerman was not charged over the incident. In November of that same year, Zimmerman was charged with felony aggravated assault after he allegedly pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend during a domestic violence incident. The case was later dropped. In January 2015, Zimmerman was again charged with domestic assault after allegedly throwing a wine bottle at a different girlfriend. Again the charges were later dropped.


title: George Zimmerman

text: On September 9, 2014, Zimmerman was named by police in a road rage incident in which another driver, later named by police as Matthew Apperson, claimed that Zimmerman followed and threatened him. Zimmerman later claimed in testimony that Apperson approached him over a rear tire leaking air, which Zimmerman was already aware of. He had explained this to Apperson before Apperson asked if Zimmerman knew he was "wrong for killing that little black boy". Zimmerman lost Apperson after the two stopped at a gas station and Zimmerman drove off.


title: George Zimmerman

text: On May 11, 2015, Apperson shot at Zimmerman while the two were driving in separate cars on a street in Lake Mary. Zimmerman was grazed by glass and metal shards when the bullet broke through his passenger-side window and was stopped by the metal window frame, causing minor facial injuries from flying glass and debris. Zimmerman flagged down a police officer and was taken to the hospital. Apperson maintained that Zimmerman was the aggressor and that Apperson acted in self-defense. Zimmerman also had a gun with him at the time of the incident, but Zimmerman's attorney said that "George absolutely denies having shown it, waved, displayed, pointed it." A Lake Mary police spokesperson stated that "the investigation has proven that George Zimmerman was not the shooter."


title: George Zimmerman

text: On May 15, 2015, Apperson was jailed in Sanford, Florida with a bond of $35,000. While free on bond, Apperson was accused, convicted and jailed for disorderly conduct, which revoked his bond. Lake Mary PD "learned that Apperson has exhibited unusual behaviors in which he had recently been admitted to a mental institution. It appears that Apperson has a fixation on Zimmerman and has displayed some signs of paranoia, anxiety, and bipolar disorder."


title: George Zimmerman

text: On September 22, 2015, a judge ruled Apperson would stand trial for second-degree attempted murder along with one count of aggravated assault and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. Apperson was convicted of attempted murder and aggravated assault with a firearm on September 16, 2016. On October 17, 2016, Apperson was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the charge of attempted 2nd-degree murder. He was also given a 15-year concurrent sentence for aggravated assault stemming from the same incident.


title: George Zimmerman

text: In December 2013, Zimmerman began selling paintings he had made. His first painting, of an American flag, sold for $100,099.99 on eBay in late December.


title: George Zimmerman

text: Everyone has been asking what I have been doing with myself. I found a creative way to express myself, my emotions, and the symbols that represent my experiences. My art work allows me to reflect, providing a therapeutic outlet, and allows me to remain indoors :-)


title: George Zimmerman

text: It was later reported that the American flag painting was copied without attribution from a stock image taken from Shutterstock.


title: George Zimmerman

text: In January 2014, the Associated Press and a Jacksonville, Florida photographer Rick Wilson demanded that Zimmerman halt the sale of one of his paintings because the news agency asserted it directly copied a photo owned by the AP. The photo and painting identically show Jacksonville-based prosecutor Angela Corey (whose office prosecuted Zimmerman for the shooting death of Martin) holding her thumb and fingers together. Zimmerman apparently made up the quote that he added to the painting: "I have this much respect for the American judicial system." The controversy was similar to that arising from the use of an AP photo by Shepard Fairey in his composition of the Barack Obama "Hope" poster. Led by attorney John Michael Phillips, the cease and desist halted the sale of this and other paintings by Zimmerman.


title: George Zimmerman

text: In August 2015, Zimmerman began selling a limited number of prints of a painting of the Confederate battle flag in conjunction with gun seller Andy Hallinan of Florida Gun Supply, in Inverness, Florida. Hallinan is known for saying that Muslims were not welcome at his store, and that it was "Muslim free". Michael Walsh of Yahoo! News observed, "Zimmerman's latest painting brings together three highly controversial topics with which the nation is dealing: the deaths of young black men, the Confederate battle flag and discrimination against American Muslims."


title: George Zimmerman

text: Andrew Russeth of the "New York Observer" appraised Zimmerman's work as likened to paint by number. Jason Edward, a contributing editor at "Art+Auction", referred to the paintings as "very primitive, the sort of thing an art critic wouldn't look at twice." Christian Viveros-Fauné, an art critic for the "Village Voice", has referred to Zimmerman's artistic endeavors as constituting "murderabilia".


title: George Zimmerman

text: In late August 2015, controversy centering on Zimmerman arose when his Twitter profile picture of a Confederate flag "backed by an American flag" (in his words) became better-known. Frequently criticized posts of his from August included one in which Zimmerman called Obama an "ignorant baboon"; one in which he posted an image of Vester Lee Flanagan, an African-American former news reporter who shot and killed two ex-coworkers during a live broadcast, and wrote, "If Obama had a son..."; and another in which Zimmerman typed, in response to people who wanted him killed, that the United States understands "how it ended for the last moron that hit me" (in reference to Trayvon Martin).


title: George Zimmerman

text: In September 2015, Zimmerman retweeted a photo of Martin's slain body posted by another Twitter user, who had the caption: "Z-Man is a one man army". Several days later, Zimmerman posted a letter saying that the photo in the original tweet was marked as "sensitive" and was blocked, so he retweeted it because of the text message without seeing the photo.


title: George Zimmerman

text: In December 2015, Zimmerman tweeted two photos of a topless woman he claimed was his ex-girlfriend, and accused her of cheating and of the theft of his firearm and money. He included her phone number and e-mail address on his tweet. Less than two hours later, Zimmerman's Twitter account was suspended by its administration, according to their policy against posting another person's private and confidential information, including e-mail addresses, phone numbers and familiar photos. Zimmerman's tweet included a statement against Muslims.


title: George Zimmerman

text: On May 11, 2016, Zimmerman posted what was planned to be the auction of the firearm he used to shoot Martin. The post, in which Zimmerman wrote that the gun was "an American Firearm icon", attracted controversy. Zimmerman subsequently explained that the Justice Department had recently returned the weapon to him. He said that he had the right as owner to sell it. Zimmerman said the proceeds of the weapon would go to combating the violence against police officers by members of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as "ensure the demise of Angela Corey's persecution career and Hillary Clinton's anti-firearm rhetoric". After selling the weapon, Zimmerman said that he had chosen to sell it directly as a result of Clinton "stumping around for a false campaign for the Trayvon Martin Foundation" and accused her of lying about the events of the shooting.


title: George Zimmerman

text: Though the auction was set to take place May 12, the weapon listing was removed before the auction was scheduled to begin. The original auction site, gunbroker.com, released a statement stating that they wanted no part in the listing or any of the publicity related to it. Zimmerman reposted the firearm on another site, United Gun Group. Within minutes, the site went down due to the intense traffic prompted by the listing. As bidding proceeded, purported bidders began using fake names such as "Donald Trump" and "Tamir Rice" to place large bids on the weapon, which were interpreted as a joke. Martin Shkreli expressed genuine interest so that he could either destroy the firearm or place it in a museum. Moderators on the bidding sites caught additional scam actions. On May 20, Zimmerman said he had accepted a bid of $250,000 for the weapon.


title: George Zimmerman

text: On December 4, 2019, Zimmerman sued the Martin family and others involved in the trial for $100 million on grounds of false evidence and abuse of process. The suit was dismissed by a judge in February 2022, who found no evidence to support any of Zimmerman's claims. On February 18, 2020, Zimmerman filed a defamation lawsuit for $265 million against Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren. The suit was dismissed in February 2021, the judge said Zimmerman "failed to sufficiently allege an essential element of defamation."


title: George Zimmerman

text: Zimmerman was satirized in the "South Park" episode "World War Zimmerman", which premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 9, 2013. It parodies "World War Z" and the George Zimmerman murder trials.


title: George Zimmerman

text: In 2013, Public Policy Polling included Zimmerman as a potential Republican Party presidential candidate in an Alaska poll testing what person the state would support in the 2016 presidential election. Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling, explained in an email that his firm had included Zimmerman because of his popularity among conservatives and curiosity as to "how he would do." In the survey, Zimmerman received 2% of support among Alaskans.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Inside Llewyn Davis () is a 2013 period black comedy musical drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1961, the film follows one week in the life of Llewyn Davis, played by Oscar Isaac in his breakthrough role, a folk singer struggling to achieve musical success while keeping his life in order. The supporting cast includes Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake and Adam Driver.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Though Davis is a fictional character, the story was partly inspired by folk singer Dave Van Ronk's autobiography. Most of the folk songs performed in the film are sung in full and recorded live. T Bone Burnett was the executive music producer. Principal photography took place in early 2012, primarily in New York City. The film, an international co-production between companies in France, the United Kingdom and the United States, was financed by StudioCanal before it received an American distributor.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: "Inside Llewyn Davis" premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2013, where it won the Grand Prix. The film was theatrically released in France on November 6, 2013, and in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2014, by StudioCanal. It was given a limited release by CBS Films in the United States on December 6, 2013, before opening in a wide release on January 10, 2014. The film received critical acclaim and was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Cinematography and Best Sound Mixing) and three Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Isaac), and Best Original Song. "Inside Llewyn Davis" has been held in high critical esteem since its release, being voted the 11th-best film released since 2000 in both a 2016 BBC Culture poll and a 2017 "The New York Times" list. The film was ranked 14 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of "50 Best Movies of the 2010s".


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: In 1961, Llewyn Davis is a struggling folk singer in New York City's Greenwich Village. His solo album "Inside Llewyn Davis" is not selling; he is penniless and sleeps on acquaintances' couches. After playing The Gaslight Café one night, he is beaten up in the alley behind the café by a man in a suit.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Davis awakens in the apartment of two friends, the Gorfeins. As he leaves, their cat escapes and is locked out. He takes it to the apartment of Jim and Jean Berkey, where Jean reluctantly allows Davis to stay the night. Jean tells Davis that she is pregnant, and that he could be the father. The next morning, Davis opens a window and the Gorfeins' cat escapes. Later, Jean asks Davis to pay for an abortion, though she is upset it may be Jim's child she is losing.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Davis visits his sister, hoping to borrow money. Instead, she gives him a box of his belongings, which he tells her to discard. She mentions that he could make money by returning to the Merchant Marine. On Jim's invitation, Davis records a space travel-themed novelty song with Jim and Al Cody. Needing money for the abortion, Davis agrees to an immediate $200 rather than royalties. Davis tries to make an appointment for the abortion, only to learn that payment will not be necessary because he already paid for the same procedure two years earlier on behalf of another woman who kept the child without informing him.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Davis captures what he believes to be the Gorfeins' cat and returns it to them that evening. Asked to perform after dinner, he reluctantly plays "Fare Thee Well", a song he had recorded with his old partner, Mike. When Mrs. Gorfein sings Mike's harmony, Davis angrily tells her not to. She leaves the table crying, then returns with the cat, having realized it is the wrong sex and thus not theirs. Davis leaves with the cat.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Davis drives to Chicago with two musicians: beat poet Johnny Five and jazz musician Roland Turner. During the trip, he discloses that his musical partner, Mike Timlin, died by suicide.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: At a roadside restaurant, Roland collapses from a heroin overdose. The three stop on the side of the highway to rest. When a police officer tells them to move on, he suspects that Johnny is drunk and orders him out of the car. Johnny resists and is arrested. Without the keys, Davis abandons the car, leaving the cat and the unconscious Roland behind. In Chicago, Davis auditions for Bud Grossman, who says he is not suited to be a solo performer but suggests he join a trio Grossman is forming. Davis rejects the offer and hitchhikes back to New York. Driving while the car owner sleeps, he hits a cat; it limps into the woods as Davis watches.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: In New York, Davis uses his last $148 for back dues to rejoin the Merchant Marine union. He searches for his seaman's license so he can ship out, but it had been in the box he told his sister to trash. Davis returns to the Union Hall to replace it, but cannot afford the $85 fee. He visits Jean, who tells him she got him a gig at the Gaslight.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: At the Gaslight, Davis learns that Pappi, the manager, also had sex with Jean. Davis is thrown out for drunkenly heckling a woman as she performs. He visits the Gorfeins, who graciously welcome him, and learns that the novelty song is likely to be a major hit with massive royalties. He is amazed to see that their actual cat, Ulysses, found his way home.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: In an expanded version of the film's opening scene, Davis performs at the Gaslight. Pappi teases him for heckling the previous evening's singer and says that a friend of his is waiting in the alley. As he leaves, Davis watches a young Bob Dylan perform. Behind the Gaslight, he is beaten by the suited man for having cruelly heckled his wife, the previous night's performer. Davis watches as the man leaves in a taxi, bidding him "Au revoir".


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Well before writing the script, the Coens began with a single idea, of Van Ronk being beaten up outside of Gerde's Folk City in the Village. The filmmakers employed the image in the opening scenes, then periodically returned to the project over the next couple of years to expand the story using a fictional character. One source for the film was Van Ronk's posthumously published memoir, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" (2005).


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: According to the book's co-author, Elijah Wald, the Coens mined the work "for local color and a few scenes". The character is a composite of Van Ronk, Rambling Jack Elliott, and other musicians from New York City who performed in the Village at that time. Joel Coen said, "the film doesn't really have a plot. That concerned us at one point; that's why we threw the cat in."


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Shooting was complicated by an early New York spring, which interfered with the bleak winter atmosphere that prevails throughout the film, and by the difficulty of filming several cats, which, unlike dogs, ignore filmmakers' directions. On an animal trainer's advice, the Coens put out a casting call for an orange tabby cat, since they are sufficiently common that several could play one part. Individual cats were then selected for each scene based on what they were disposed to do on their own. After a chance run-in with a cabdriver who lived at their old address, the Coens used the apartment they'd rented several decades earlier.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Producer Scott Rudin, who worked with the Coens on "No Country for Old Men" and "True Grit", collaborated on the project. StudioCanal helped finance it without an American distributor in place. "After shooting in New York City and elsewhere last year ... the brothers finished the movie at their own pace", wrote Michael Cieply in a January 2013 "New York Times" interview with Joel Coen ahead of a private, pre-Grammys screening in Los Angeles. "They could have rushed it into the Oscar season but didn't." On February 19, CBS Films announced it had picked up the U.S. domestic distribution rights for about $4 million. StudioCanal has rights to international distribution and foreign sales.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Dave Van Ronk's music served as the Coens' starting point for the script, and many of the songs first designated for the film were his. Van Ronk biographer Elijah Wald said that Llewyn Davis "is not at all Dave, but the music is". (The cover of Davis's solo album, "Inside Llewyn Davis", resembles that of "Inside Dave Van Ronk". Both feature the artist in a doorway, wearing a tweed jacket and smoking a cigarette. One difference between the two covers is that there is a cat in the doorway on the cover of "Inside Dave Van Ronk.") Other songs emerged in conversations between the Coens and T Bone Burnett, who produced the music in association with Marcus Mumford. Burnett previously worked with the Coens on the music and soundtracks for "The Big Lebowski" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", the latter of which sold about 8 million copies in the United States. The Coens viewed the music in "Inside Llewyn Davis" as a direct descendant of the music in "O Brother."


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: The humorous novelty song "Please Mr. Kennedy", a plea from a reluctant astronaut, appears to be a fourth-generation derivative of the 1960 song "Mr. Custer", also known as "Please Mr. Custer", about the Battle of the Little Bighorn, sung by Larry Verne and written by Al De Lory, Fred Darian, and Joseph Van Winkle. A Tamla-Motown single followed in 1961: "Please Mr. Kennedy (I Don't Want to Go)", a plea from a reluctant Vietnam War draftee, sung by Mickey Woods and credited to Berry Gordy, Loucye Wakefield and Ronald Wakefield. In 1962, using a similar theme, The Goldcoast Singers recorded "Please Mr. Kennedy" on their album "Here They Are", with writing credits to Ed Rush and George Cromarty. The Llewyn Davis version credits Rush, Cromarty, Burnett, Timberlake, and the Coens.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Isaac, Timberlake, Mulligan, Driver and others performed the music live. The exception was "The Auld Triangle", which was lip-synced, with Timberlake singing bass. (Timberlake's vocal range was on display in the film. Critic Janet Maslin, listening to the soundtrack, mistook Timberlake's voice for Mulligan's, which she thought resembled that of Mary Travers.)


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: "Inside Llewyn Davis" had its worldwide premiere on May 19 at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. It then screened at other film festivals, including the New York Film Festival in September, the AFI Film Festival, on its November 14 close, and the Torino Film Festival, also in November.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: The film began a limited release in the United States on December 6, 2013, in Los Angeles and New York. It opened in 133 additional theaters on December 20 and wide on January 10, 2014.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: On January 19, 2016, The Criterion Collection released a DVD and Blu-ray of the film, featuring new audio commentary tracks, interviews and other special features, including a 43-minute documentary, "Inside "Inside Llewyn Davis"".


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 92%, based on 286 reviews, with an average score of 8.5/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Smart, funny, and profoundly melancholy, "Inside Llewyn Davis" finds the Coen brothers in fine form." Metacritic gives the film a score of 93 out of 100, based on reviews from 52 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". It was voted the 11th greatest film of the 21st century in a 2016 BBC Culture poll, after "No Country for Old Men", another film by the Coen brothers.


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Writing for "The Village Voice", Alan Scherstuhl praised the film: "While often funny and alive with winning performances, "Inside Llewyn Davis" finds the brothers in a dark mood, exploring the near-inevitable disappointment that faces artists too sincere to compromise—disappointments that the Coens, to their credit, have made a career out of dodging. The result is their most affecting film since the masterful "A Serious Man"." Todd McCarthy of "The Hollywood Reporter" called the film "an outstanding fictional take on the early 1960s folk music scene", praising the "fresh, resonant folk soundtrack", and said Isaac's performance "deftly manages the task of making Llewyn compulsively watchable". IGN reviewer Leigh Singer gave the film a 10 out of 10 'Masterpiece' score, saying "Don't be fooled by the seemingly minor key ... this is one of the finest works by—let's just call it—the most consistently innovative, versatile and thrilling American filmmakers of the last quarter-century."


title: Inside Llewyn Davis

text: Folk singers have criticized the film for representing the Village folk scene of the time as a less friendly place than it actually was. Terri Thal, Dave Van Ronk's ex-wife, said, "I didn't expect it to be almost unrecognizable as the folk-music world of the early 1960s." Suzanne Vega said, "I feel they took a vibrant, crackling, competitive, romantic, communal, crazy, drunken, brawling scene and crumpled it into a slow brown sad movie." The film was also criticized because, though to some extent based on Van Ronk's memoir, it portrayed a character very different from Van Ronk, who, in contrast with the character Llewyn Davis, is usually described as a "nice guy". At a press interview before the premiere at Cannes, the Coens said Davis was an original creation, and that the music was the major influence they had drawn from Van Ronk.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Franz Anton Beckenbauer (, ; born 11 September 1945) is a German former professional footballer and manager. In his playing career he was nicknamed "Der Kaiser" ("The Emperor") because of his elegant style, dominance and leadership on the field, and also as his first name "Franz" is reminiscent of the Austrian emperors. He is widely regarded to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. A versatile player who started out as a midfielder, Beckenbauer made his name as a central defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper ("libero").


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Twice named European Footballer of the Year, Beckenbauer appeared 103 times for West Germany and played in three FIFA World Cups and two European Championships. He is one of three men, along with Brazil's Mário Zagallo and France's Didier Deschamps, to have won the World Cup as a player and as a manager; he lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974, and repeated the feat as a manager in 1990. He was the first captain to lift the World Cup and European Championship at international level and the European Cup at club level. He was named in the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998, the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020, and in 2004 was listed in the FIFA 100 of the world's greatest living players.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: At club level with Bayern Munich, Beckenbauer won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1967 and three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976. The latter feat made him the first player to win three European Cups as captain of his club. He became team manager and later president of Bayern Munich. After two spells with the New York Cosmos he was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer led Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup and chaired the organizing committee. He worked as a pundit for Sky Germany, and for 34 years as a columnist for the tabloid "Bild", both until 2016. In August 2016, it was announced Beckenbauer was being investigated for fraud and money laundering as part of the 2006 World Cup. The investigation was closed without a verdict in 2020 as the statute of limitations expired.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Franz Beckenbauer was born in the post-war ruins of Munich, the second son of postal-worker Franz Beckenbauer, Sr. and his wife Antonie (née Hupfauf). He grew up in the working-class district of Giesing and, despite his father's cynicism about the game, started playing football at the age of nine with the youth team of SC Munich '06 in 1954.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Originally a centre forward, he idolised 1954 FIFA World Cup winner Fritz Walter and supported local side 1860 Munich, then the pre-eminent team in the city, despite their relegation from the top league, the "Oberliga Süd," in the 1950s. ""It was always my dream to play for them"" he would later confirm. That he joined the Bayern Munich youth team in 1959, rather than that of his favourites 1860 Munich, was the result of a contentious Under-14 youth tournament in nearby Neubiberg. Beckenbauer and his teammates were aware that their SC Munich '06 club lacked the finance to continue running its youth sides, and had determined to join 1860 Munich as a group upon the tournament's conclusion. However, fortune decreed that SC Munich and 1860 would meet in the final and a series of niggles during the match eventually resulted in a physical confrontation between Beckenbauer and the opposing centre-half. The ill-feeling this engendered had a strong effect upon Beckenbauer and his teammates, who decided to join Bayern's youth side rather than the team they had recently come to blows with.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In 1963, at the age of 18, Beckenbauer was engulfed by controversy when it was revealed that his then girlfriend was pregnant and that he had no intention of marrying her; he was banned from the West German national youth team by the DFB and only readmitted after the intervention of the side's coach Dettmar Cramer.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer made his debut with Bayern in a Bundesliga promotion play-off match on the left wing against FC St. Pauli on 6 June 1964. In his first season in the Regionalliga Süd ("Regional League South", then the second level in Germany), 1964–65, the team won the league and eventually promoted to the Bundesliga.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Bayern soon became a force in the new German league, winning the German Cup in 1966–67 and achieving European success in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967. Beckenbauer became team captain for the 1968–69 season and led his club to their first league title. He began experimenting with the sweeper "(libero)" role around this time, refining the role into a new form and becoming perhaps the greatest exponent of the attacking sweeper game.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: During Beckenbauer's tenure at Bayern Munich, the club won three league championships in a row from 1972 to 1974 and also a hat-trick of European Cup wins (1974–76) which earned the club the honour of keeping the trophy permanently.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Since 1968 Beckenbauer, has been called "Der Kaiser" by fans and the media. The following anecdote is told (even by Beckenbauer himself) to explain the origin: On the occasion of a friendly game of Bayern Munich in Vienna, Austria, Beckenbauer posed for a photo session right beside a bust of the former Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. The media called him "Fußball-Kaiser" (football-emperor) afterwards, soon after he was just called "Der Kaiser". However, according to a report in the German newspaper "Welt am Sonntag", this explanation is untrue, though very popular. According to the report, Beckenbauer fouled his opposite number, Reinhard Libuda from Schalke 04, in the cup final on 14 June 1969. Disregarding the fans' hooting, Beckenbauer took the ball into the opposite part of the field, where he balanced the ball in front of the upset fans for half a minute. Libuda was commonly called "König von Westfalen" (king of Westphalia), so the press looked for an even more exalted moniker and invented "Der Kaiser".


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In 1977, Beckenbauer accepted a lucrative contract to play in the North American Soccer League with the New York Cosmos. He played with the Cosmos for four seasons up to 1980, and the team won the Soccer Bowl on three occasions (1977, 1978, 1980).


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer retired after a two-year spell with Hamburger SV in Germany (1980–82) with the win of the Bundesliga title that year and one final season with the New York Cosmos in 1983. In his career, he appeared in 754 competitive club matches.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer won 103 caps and scored 14 goals for West Germany. He was a member of the World Cup squads that finished runners-up in 1966, third place in 1970, and champions in 1974, while also being named to the tournament all-star team in all three editions. He also won the 1972 European Football Championship and finished as runners-up in the 1976 edition. Beckenbauer's first game for the national team came on 26 September 1965.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer appeared in his first World Cup in 1966, playing every match. In his first World Cup match, against Switzerland, he scored twice in a 5–0 win. West Germany won their group, and then beat Uruguay 4–0 in quarter-finals, with Beckenbauer scoring the second goal in the 70th minute.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In the semi-finals, the Germans faced the USSR. Helmut Haller opened the scoring, with Beckenbauer contributing the second of the match, his fourth goal of the tournament. The Soviets scored a late goal but were unable to draw level, and West Germany advanced to the final against hosts England. The English won the final and the Jules Rimet Trophy in extra time. The Germans had fallen at the final hurdle, but Beckenbauer had a notable tournament, finishing tied for third on the list of top scorers—from a non-attacking position. The team returned to a heroes' welcome in their homeland.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: West Germany won their first three matches before facing England in the second round in a rematch of the 1966 final. The English were ahead 2–0 in the second half, but a spectacular goal by Beckenbauer in the 69th minute helped the Germans recover and equalise before the end of normal time and win the match in extra time. West Germany advanced to the semi-finals to face Italy, in what would be known as the Game of the Century. He dislocated his shoulder after being fouled, but he was not deterred from continuing in the match, as his side had already used their two permitted substitutions. He stayed on the field carrying his dislocated arm in a sling. The result of this match was 4–3 (after extra time) in favour of the Italians. Germany defeated Uruguay 1–0 for third place.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer became captain of the national side in 1971. In 1972, West Germany won the European Championship, beating the Soviet Union 3–0 in the final.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: The 1974 World Cup was hosted by West Germany and Beckenbauer led his side to victory, including a hard-fought 2–1 win over the hotly favoured Netherlands side featuring Johan Cruyff. Beckenbauer and fellow defenders man-marked Cruyff so well that the Dutch were never quite able to put their "Total Football" into full use.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer became the first captain to lift the new FIFA World Cup Trophy after Brazil had retained the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1970. This also gave West Germany the distinction of being the first European national team to hold both the European Championship and World Cup titles simultaneously (two other countries have done it since: France in 2000, and Spain in 2010).


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In the 1976 competition, West Germany again reached the final, where they lost on penalties to Czechoslovakia. Beckenbauer was named in the Team of the Tournament.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer retired from international football in 1977, at the age of 31, following his move to New York Cosmos.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: On his return to Germany, Beckenbauer was appointed manager of the West German national team to replace Jupp Derwall on 12 September 1984. He took the team all the way to the final of the 1986 World Cup, where they lost to the Diego Maradona inspired Argentina.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In 1990, before the German reunification, Beckenbauer managed the last German team without East German players in a World Cup, winning the final 1–0, against Argentina, in a rematch of the previous World Cup final. Beckenbauer is one of three men (with Mario Zagallo, and Didier Deschamps) to have won the Cup as player and as manager, and he is the first man and one of only two (with Didier Deschamps) to have won the title as team captain as well as manager.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer then moved into club management, and accepted a job with Olympique de Marseille in 1990 but left the club within one year. Marseille eventually won the 1990–91 French championship and ended runner-up of the 1990–91 European Cup.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: From 28 December 1993 until 30 June 1994, and then from 29 April 1996 until 30 June of the same year, he managed Bayern Munich. His brief spells in charge saw him collect two further honours – the Bundesliga title in 1994 and the UEFA Cup in 1996.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In 1994, he took on the role of club president at Bayern, and much of the success in the following years has been credited to his astute management. Following the club's decision to change from an association to a limited company, he has been chairman of the advisory board since the beginning of 2002. He stepped down as president of Bayern in 2009, being succeeded by long-time general manager Uli Hoeneß.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In 1998, he became vice-president of the German Football Association. At the end of the 1990s, Beckenbauer headed the successful bid by Germany to organize the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He chaired the organizational committee for the World Cup and was a commentator for the Bild-Zeitung.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In June 2014, Beckenbauer was banned by FIFA Ethics Committee for 90 days from any football-related activity for allegedly refusing to cooperate with an inquiry into corruption dealing with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. He protested the ban, as he had requested the questions that were put to him be in German and in writing. The ban was lifted after Beckenbauer agreed to participate in FIFA's inquiry. In February 2016, Beckenbauer was fined CHF 7,000 and warned by FIFA Ethics Committee for failing to cooperate with the inquiry in 2014.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In March 2016, the Ethics Committee opened formal proceedings against Beckenbauer regarding the awarding of the 2006 FIFA World Cup to Germany.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In October 2019, Black Mirror Leaks published email correspondence of Russian member of Parliament, Sergey Kapkov, where Beckenbauer and his adviser, Fedor Radmann, were named as recipients of €3 million for their votes in favour of Russia as host of the 2018 World Cup. Both allegedly received an additional €1.5 million in success fees after the 2018 cup was allocated to Russia.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer is widely considered to be one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game. He is the only defender in football history to win the Ballon d'Or twice. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper or "libero", a defensive player who intervenes proactively in the offensive game of his team. Named European Footballer of the Year twice, Beckenbauer was chosen on the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998, and the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: An icon in Germany, and one of only three men to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a manager, Beckenbauer was lauded by former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder for winning the World Cup as a player in 1974, winning as manager in 1990, and for playing a leading role in Germany's success of achieving host status of the 2006 World Cup.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: During his playing career, Beckenbauer's popularity was such that he was included as a character in Monty Python's sketch "The Philosophers' Football Match" as the sole genuine player and a "surprise inclusion" to the German team. During the match, between famous Greek and German philosophers, instead of actually playing football, the "players" walk in circles contemplating philosophy, while "asking questions", a popular phrase used by English football commentators, much to the confusion of Beckenbauer.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In a 2013 advertisement for South Korean company Samsung, Beckenbauer appeared as the manager of a Galaxy XI of football players from around the globe, and hands the captain's armband to Lionel Messi. Beckenbauer features in EA Sports' "FIFA" video game series; he was included in the "FIFA 15" Ultimate Team Legends.


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: Beckenbauer has been married three times and has five children, one of whom, Stephan, was a professional footballer, who died after a long illness on 31 July 2015, at the age of 46. Stephan's son Luca is also a professional footballer, currently playing for SV Wacker Burghausen in the Regionalliga Bayern. After appearing in an advertisement for a big mobile phone company, Beckenbauer specifically requested the number 0176 / 666666 for his mobile phone. However, he soon was flooded with phone calls by men who thought it was a phone sex number (in German, "6" translates to "sechs", sounding similar to the word sex).


title: Franz Beckenbauer

text: In 2016 and 2017, Beckenbauer had cardiac surgery twice. He also had an artificial hip inserted in 2018.


title: Namma Metro

text: Namma Metro ("Our Metro" in Kannada), also known as Bengaluru Metro, is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bengaluru, India. Upon its inauguration, it became the first underground metro system in South India. Namma Metro has a mix of underground, at grade, and elevated stations. Out of the operational 52 metro stations of Namma Metro as of November 2022, there are 43 elevated stations, 8 underground stations and 1 at-grade station. The system runs on standard-gauge tracks.


title: Namma Metro

text: Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), a joint venture of Government of India and the State Government of Karnataka, is the agency for building, operating and expanding the Namma Metro network. Services operate daily between 05:00 and 23:00 running with a headway varying between 4–20 minutes. The trains initially began with three coaches but were later converted to six coaches as ridership grew. Power is supplied by 750 volt direct current through third rail. As of January 2020, the metro system had an average daily ridership of about 518,000 passengers.


title: Namma Metro

text: The State Town Planning Department had recommended looking into a mass rapid transit project, i.e. a metro for Bangalore city way back in 1977. A high-level Committee had also agreed that a metro study was warranted and a team from Southern Railway (SR) was commissioned to do this in 1981. The Southern Railway team recommended a 2-corridor metro, 24 km in length in addition to commuter rail lines and a ring railway.


title: Namma Metro

text: In 1993, the State of Karnataka established another committee to look into mass rapid transit. This committee had again recommended the same metro project put forward by SR in 1983 and the same circular railway.


title: Namma Metro

text: The state created Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Ltd (BMRTL) in 1994, with terms of reference to seek a public/private partnership for a mass rapid transit project. The government immediately introduced a special city cess dedicated to the anticipated mass rapid transit project. BMRTL commissioned a feasibility study which came up with an elevated, LRT-based, 96-km long network on 6 routes. A private consortium led by United Breweries Group undertook further development of the project on BOT basis. However, the project hadn't taken off.


title: Namma Metro

text: In 2003, the Government of Karnataka commissioned the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which had successfully developed the Delhi Metro, to carry out a detailed preparation study for a metro in Bangalore, to be done emulating the technical and financial aspects of the approach used in Delhi. The study recommended a 2-line metro, 18 km and 15 km in length, cross shaped. The middle of the cross was to be at the Central Railway Station in Bangalore, completely underground. The economic rate-of-return was forecast at 22.3%. The financial forecast assumes a government subsidy for interest payments and some depreciation, i.e. fare revenue will cover somewhat more than direct operating costs. The Government accepted this option. BMRTL ceased to exist and was replaced by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL).


title: Namma Metro

text: Purple Line is aligned east to west and connects Baiyappanahalli in the east with Kengeri in the southwest. The line is 25.7 km long and has 22 stations. It is elevated on both east and west sides and has a 4.8 km underground section in the middle. The Line passes through prime activity centers of the city (MG Road, Majestic, Railway Station, Vidhana Soudha etc.). It is currently being expanded under Phase-2.


title: Namma Metro

text: The first , 6-station stretch (Reach 1) of the Purple Line between Baiyappanahalli in the east and Mahatma Gandhi Road opened on 20 October 2011. This was the inaugural section of Namma Metro. The second , 6-station stretch (Reach 2) between Mysore Road and Magadi Road opened on 16 November 2015. The underground section, a stretch from Cubbon Park to Bengaluru City (KSR) Railway Station opened on 29 April 2016, thus linking east and west sections that were already opened. Opening the underground section completed the entire Purple Line in Phase-1. A 7.5 km extension on the south west opened on 30 August 2021 under phase-2. The eastern extension of 15.2 km to Whitefield is due to open in mid-2023.


title: Namma Metro

text: The Green Line is aligned north to south and connects Nagasandra in the north-west to Silk Institute in the south-west, covering a distance of and has 30 stations. It is elevated on both north and south sides and has a 4.0 km underground section in the middle. The Line passes through industrial areas (Peenya, Yeshwanthapur) in the north and also through commercial hubs (Majestic, Chikpete, City Market) and connects large residential catchments in the south (Basavanagudi, Jayanagar, Banashankari etc.). It is currently being expanded under Phase-2.


title: Namma Metro

text: The first , 10-station stretch (Reach 3/3A) of the Green Line opened 1 March 2014. The stretch connected Sampige Road to Peenya Industry. The second , 3-station stretch (Reach 3B) of the Green Line from Peenya Industry to Nagasandra, opened on 1 May 2015. The third stretch connecting Sampige Road to Yelachenahalli was inaugurated on 17 June 2017 and opened the next day, thereby completing the entire Phase 1. These stretches (including the underground section) were inaugurated by then President late Shri Pranab Mukherjee on 17 March 2017. The stretch from Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute was inaugurated on 14 January 2021, making it the first section of Phase-2 to be opened for service. The northern extension of 3.8 km to Madavara is due to open in mid-2023.


title: Namma Metro

text: More lines and extensions are under construction. When completed, the 2nd phase (currently underway) will provide connectivity to the city's tech hubs of Electronic City and Whitefield, besides covering the eastern half of Outer Ring Road (ORR) and providing service to the Kempegowda International Airport in the north of the city.


title: Namma Metro

text: The Yellow Line connects Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road to Bommasandra, covering a distance of and has 16 stations. This line is completely elevated and runs along ORR and Hosur road. It will begin at an interchange station (Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road) and pass through two other interchange stations: Jayadeva hospital station, which will be an interchange station with the Pink Line; and Central Silk Board station, a planned interchange station with the Blue Line. Thus, the line connects Electronic City and Bommasandra industrial area with the metro network. The line is scheduled to become operational around December 2023.


title: Namma Metro

text: On 9 June 2022, Karnataka Government okayed preparation of DPR by Tamil Nadu government for an extension of the Yellow line from Bommasandra to Hosur in Tamil Nadu.


title: Namma Metro

text: The Pink Line is aligned from south to north and connects Kalena Agrahara in the south with Nagawara in the north, covering a distance of and having 18 stations. It is elevated on the southern side till Tavarakere, the rest is underground till the northern end at Nagawara station. The line will pass through Jayadeva station (interchange with Yellow Line) and Mahatma Gandhi Road (interchange with Purple Line). it passes through Cantonment and ends at Nagawara, which is planned as an interchange station with the Blue Line. The line is under construction and is expected to open in 2025-26.


title: Namma Metro

text: This Blue Line is aligned along the eastern and northern sections of ORR. It deviates from ORR at Hebbal and proceeds along Airport road to Kempegowda International Airport. Construction is being handled in two sections: Phase-2A covers Central Silk Board to Krishnarajapuram and Phase-2B covers Krishnarajapuram to Airport. The line will totally be long and have 30 stations. It is elevated almost throughout with a small underground section in way of Yelahanka Airforce base. The line also has a section at grade level closer to the airport. Airport station will be an underground station. This line begins at Central Silk Board (interchange with Yellow line), and passes through Krishnarajapuram (interchange station with Purple Line) and Nagawara (interchange station with Pink line). It also passes through Hebbal and Yelahanka. The under construction line is expected to open in 2 phases (Phase-2A in June-2025 and Phase-2B in December- 2025).


title: Namma Metro

text: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) prepared and submitted the detailed project for the first phase of Namma Metro in May 2003. The DPR was for a 33 km (21 mi) network with 32 stations for Phase 1 of the project, using standard gauge. The project was approved by the Union Cabinet on 25 April 2006. The foundation stone for construction of Phase 1 was laid by then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 24 June 2006. Navayuga Engineering Company Limited was awarded the first contract to construct Reach 1 of the east–west corridor in 2006. Civil construction on the first section (Reach-1) of the Purple Line between Baiyyappanahalli and Mahatma Gandhi Road, commenced on 15 April 2007.


title: Namma Metro

text: DPRs for a northern extension (from Yeshwanthapura to Nagasandra) and a southern extension (from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road to Yelachenahalli) was submitted in October 2007 and June 2008 respectively. With these extensions, the total route length for phase-1 became 42.3 km. The objective was to connect the metro to the Outer Ring Road at northern and southern ends, and also cover the industrial areas of Peenya in the north-west, thereby providing better connectivity and increasing ridership. In October 2008, the Government of Karnataka approved this extension, which would cost an additional ₹1,763 crore (US$250 million).


title: Namma Metro

text: Both lines in Phase-1 have tunnel sections in the city center which were the first metro tunnels built in South India. Construction of underground sections in Phase 1 commenced during late 2012. The delay was due to cancellation of the initial tenders called during early 2008 as the entire DPR had to be revised and bids received were too high. A second round of tendering was done in late 2009 with the gigantic Majestic inter-change station as a separate package. Bids were awarded for the tunnel sections during 2011 and construction began in 2012.


title: Namma Metro

text: The tunnels bored with tunnel boring machines (TBMs), located approximately 60 feet below ground level, have a diameter of 5.5 meters and are 5 meters apart. The TBMs were nicknamed "Helen", "Margarita", "Kaveri", "Krishna" and "Godavari."


title: Namma Metro

text: Tunnel boring of underground section UG1 (on east–west corridor) was completed on 17 March 2014. Track works and 3rd rail electrification works were completed on the 4.8 km east–west tunnel of the Purple line between Cubbon Park and Magadi Road and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) began trials on 23 November 2015. The entire stretch of the Purple Line was opened on 29 April 2016.


title: Namma Metro

text: Tunnel boring of underground section UG2 (on north–south corridor) was completed on 23 September 2016. The tunneling faced a major delay when the cutter head of TBM Godavari was broken and spares had to be awaited. Trial runs on the 4.0 km east–west tunnel of the Green line between Sampige Road and National College were commenced on 31 March 2017. The entire stretch of Green Line was opened on 19 June 2017, thus completing phase-1 of the project.


title: Namma Metro

text: After missing deadlines, Namma Metro's first section (Reach-1) had finally opened to the public on 20 October 2011. There was an overwhelming response by the public at commencement of operations. As per BMRCL sources, within the first 3 days of operations 169,019 people rode the metro. At the end of the 4th day, about 200,000 passengers had already commuted on Namma Metro. Namma Metro's first 12-day cumulative revenue was ₹1 crore (US$140,000).


title: Namma Metro

text: The northern section of Green Line (Reach 3,3A,3B) was initially scheduled to be opened by the end of 2012. However, it was delayed and finally opened on 1 March 2014. BMRCL MD Pradeep Singh Kharola stated that about 25,000 passengers travelled on the line on the opening day. In the first month of operations, 7.62 lakh people used the line, at an average of 24,605 daily, generating revenues of ₹1.5 crore (US$210,000).


title: Namma Metro

text: The first underground section (on the Purple line) commenced operations on 30 April 2016, thus providing through connectivity between east and west of the city.


title: Namma Metro

text: The second underground section, along with southern reaches (viz. Reach 4,4A) was opened on 18 June 2017.


title: Namma Metro

text: Once the east and west reaches were inter-connected with opening of the underground section of the purple line, ridership surged hugely. After the north–south underground section was opened (simultaneously with the elevated reach 4,4A in the south), the network provided connectivity in all four directions with interchange between the lines and this further increased ridership. Ridership kept increasing and was around 4,50,000 daily (September 2019).


title: Namma Metro

text: Phase 1 comprises two lines spanning a length of , of which about is underground and about is elevated. There are 40 stations in Phase 1, of which 7 stations are underground, 1 at grade and 32 are elevated.


title: Namma Metro

text: The first phase of the project was initially budgeted at ₹6,395 crore (US$875 million). With route extensions and cost escalation, this was later revised to ₹11,609 crores (US$1.6 billion). There were many delays during construction and as a result, there were several postponements. The difficult geological conditions below ground with a mix of soft soil, high groundwater levels, hard granite and large boulders was a major impediment for tunnel boring. A major delay was due to a broken cutter head of TBM Godavari for which spares had to be ordered from Italy. Phase 1, containing 2 lines aggregating 42.3 km was completed and services opened to public on 19-June-2017. The final costs for phase-1 were ₹14,405 crores.


title: Namma Metro

text: The State Government accorded approval for preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for Phase 2 by DMRC on 4 January 2011. The high power committee (HPC) gave in-principle clearance to proceed with Phase 2 in July 2011. Karnataka government gave in-principle approval to Phase 2 of the Namma Metro project on 3 January 2012. However, there were delays in DPR preparation and hence approval from Central government. Phase 2 was cleared by the expenditure finance committee (EFC) in August 2013. The Union Cabinet finally announced that it had approved plans for phase-2 on 30 January 2014.


title: Namma Metro

text: The estimated total cost for Phase 2 was around ₹26,405 crore (US$3.7 billion) at 2011-12 price levels. The State Government would contribute ₹9,000 crore (US$1.3 billion). The project cost of ₹26,405 at 2011–12 price levels is set to escalate about 5 per cent every year with increasing cost of inputs. The Union government will share that part of cost escalation due to increase in central levies, while the State and BMRCL will have to bear any other escalation. The total project cost for Phase 2 is estimated to reach at least ₹30,000 crore (US$4.2 billion) at start of construction itself. In October 2018, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara stated that the cost of Phase 2 would be around ₹32,000 crore (US$4.5 billion).


title: Namma Metro

text: Phase 2 spans a length of 72.095 km (44.798 mi) – 13.79 km (8.57 mi) underground, 0.48 km (0.30 mi) at grade and 57.825 km (35.931 mi) elevated, and adds 62 stations to the network, of which 12 are underground. Phase 2 includes extension of the two Phase 1 lines in both directions, as well as construction of two new lines.


title: Namma Metro

text: The south-end of the Green Line will be extended from Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute (previously named Anjanapura) along Kanakapura Road, north-end from Nagasandra to Madavara (previously named BIEC) on Tumkur Road (NH-4). The east-end of the Purple Line will be extended from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield and the west-end from Mysore Road to Kengeri (later extended to Challaghatta). A new, 18.82 km (11.69 mi) long, fully elevated line from RV Road to Bommasandra will be constructed, passing through Electronic City. The second new line will be 21.25 km (13.20 mi) from Kalena Agrahara (previously Gottigere) to Nagawara. The line is mostly underground (13.79 km or 8.57 mi), but also has a 6.98 km (4.34 mi) elevated section and a 0.48 km (0.30 mi) at-grade section. There are 18 stations on the line, of which 12 are underground and 6 are elevated. Unlike Phase 1, all stations being built in Phase 2 will have bus bays and/or parking facilities.


title: Namma Metro

text: Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) is responsible for acquiring land for Phase 2. It was estimated that 102.02 hectares (252 acres) of land would be required for Phase 2 (including Phase 2A). By April 2017, BMRCL had already spent ₹5000 crore on land acquisition.


title: Namma Metro

text: Construction work began on the south extension of the Green Line from Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute (6.29 km or 3.91 mi) and the west extension of the Purple Line from Mysore Road to Kengeri (8.81 km or 5.47 mi) by October 2016. Construction work on the west extension of Purple Line was awarded in two packages for ₹660 crore, while the Green Line south extension was awarded in a single package for ₹508.86 crore.


title: Namma Metro

text: Construction work for the north extension of the Green Line (from Nagasandra to Madavara) and the east extension of the Purple Line (from Baiyyappanahalli to Whitefield) began in July 2017. The 3.031 km (1.883 mi) north extension is estimated to cost ₹247.41 crore while the east extension (15.5 km) was awarded for ₹1,300 crore (US$180 million).


title: Namma Metro

text: Construction of the yellow line, a new line from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road to Bommasandra in 3 packages began post awarding of tenders in November 2017. The first package (6.418 km / 3.988 mi) was a stretch from Bommasandra to Hosa Road station, including depot entry line to Hebbagodi depot and five Metro stations. The second package was for a 6.38 km (3.96 mi) stretch from Hosa Road to Bommanahalli (previously HSR Layout). Both packages were awarded for ₹1,750 crore (US$250 million) to Thailand-based ITD Cementation India. The third package was for a stretch from RV Road to Bommanahalli (previously HSR Layout), 6.34 km long elevated section and 5 stations, for ₹797.29 crores (US$110 million) and includes the construction of a road-cum-rail flyover, road widening and allied works.