Ukraine war: 1 dead, 27 missing after Moskva flagship sinking, Russia says in first admission of losses
- Moscow had previously said that all crew members were evacuated after a fire on board; the Pentagon says the ship was hit by Ukrainian missiles
- After the incident, parents of sailors serving on the vessel took to social media to say their children were missing and they needed answers
Russia said on Friday that one crew member died and 27 were missing after the Moskva missile cruiser sank last week, Moscow’s first admission of the losses following the tragedy.
The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet had been leading Russia’s naval effort in the nearly two-month conflict in Ukraine, playing a central role in the siege of the port city of Mariupol.
After the Moskva sank, parents and other family members of sailors who served aboard – including conscripts – took to social media, saying their children had gone missing and that they needed answers.
“As a result of a fire on April 13, the Moskva missile cruiser was seriously damaged due to the detonation of ammunition,” the defence ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies late on Friday.
“One serviceman was killed, another 27 crew members went missing,” the ministry said, adding that “the remaining 396 members” had been evacuated.