The British Admiral Miles reported from Moscow:
 
     Russian scorched earth policy is everwhere being
 
carried out with great thoroughness and relentlessly. Re-
 
moval of unfinished hulls and machinery from Nikolaev and the
 
destruction of immovable gear showed that the Soviet Navy
 
could do their share.
 
     Leningrad is the only Baltic Russian Naval repair
 
 base.
 
     Kronstadt is too small to base the entire Russian
 
Baltic Fleet, and, although very strongly fortified, is vulner-
 
able to attack from the main land.
 
          Should Leningrad fall the Russians are faced with the 
 
four following courses of action for their Baltic Fleet:-
 
     1. To scuttle.
 
     2. To suffer capture by the enemy.
 
     3. To sail through the Baltic to the North Sea.
 
     4. To surrender for internment to the Swedes.
 
     The Russian Fleet to our knowledge has not so far
 
shown the same determination as their Army, except for the
 
destruction at Nikolaev when incompleted ships were destroyed.
 
     The Russians are notorious for their dislike of the sea. 
     
     The arrival of the Russian Fleet, although expected, 
 
would be highly distasteful to the Swedes, and, swollen by
 
this unwieldy gift, Sweden's neutrality would not remain in-
 
violate for long.