Ukraine war: Russia says Moskva flagship has ‘sunk in storm’ after fire on board
- The vessel that went viral as the ‘Russian warship’ in the Snake Island incident suffered major damage, possibly from Ukrainian Neptune missiles
- Its removal from combat greatly reduces Moscow’s firepower in the Black Sea and strikes a major blow to Russian prestige
The Russian military said on Thursday that the flagship of its Black Sea fleet sank while being towed to a port after being badly damaged.
The Moskva, named in honour of the Russian capital, was launched during the Cold War, saw service during conflicts in Georgia, Syria and Ukraine, and helped conduct peacetime scientific research with the United States.
The sinking was an inglorious demise for the vessel initially christened the Slava, or “glory”.
What happened to the warship?
The Russian Defence Ministry said the heavily damaged Moskva sank in a storm Thursday under tow after being gutted by fire. It previously said the blaze set off some of its weapons and forced the crew to evacuate. It denied there had been an attack by Ukraine on the ship, which would normally have about 500 sailors aboard.
Maksym Marchenko, the governor of the Odesa region, said Ukraine struck the ship late on Wednesday with two Neptune missiles and caused “serious damage”. Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister, later said he was unable to confirm its fate or if it even had been hit by Ukrainian forces.
It was not immediately possible to reconcile the different accounts, and cloud cover made it impossible to locate the ship or determine its condition from satellite photos. The US was unable to confirm Ukraine’s claims.