A Russian warship allegedly attacked by Ukraine has sunk, the Moscow Defense Ministry said.
The missile cruiser “Moscow” is the flagship of the Kremlin’s Black Sea Fleet and is believed to have sunk as it was towed back to the port during bad weather after an explosion and fire.
Earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry said the Soviet-era ship had been severely damaged by a fire that Ukraine said was the result of its missile strike.
The crew of “Moscow” was evacuated on other ships in the area, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, which previously admitted that it was seriously damaged.
“During the towing of the cruiser” Moscow “to the port of destination, the ship lost stability due to damage to the hull caused by the detonation of ammunition during the fire,” the ministry said in a statement.
“In stormy sea conditions, the ship sank.”
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Image: Moscow in Sevastopol, in the occupied Crimea, on April 7. Photo: Maxar Technologies via AP
Ukraine is responsible for the damage to a warship
Two anti-ship Neptune missiles were used in the attack, Ukrainian media reported earlier, but these allegations have not been confirmed independently.
A Ukrainian source told Sky News earlier: “It is burning. The level of damage is being clarified … It is about 25 nautical miles from Snake Island.
Maxim Marchenko, the governor of Odessa, said in the Telegram: “It has been confirmed that today the missile cruiser” Moscow “went exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island!
“Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship.
“Glory to Ukraine!”
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Ukraine’s claims were not confirmed by Russia and were not verified by Western officials.
Commenting by the TASS news agency, Moscow’s defense ministry said the munitions were detonated on board “as a result of a fire”, the cause of which is being investigated.
Earlier, the Pentagon said the cruiser missile, one of three in Russia’s class, was approximately 600 feet long and could hold nearly 500 sailors on board.
The ship is designed for air defense, the spokesman added.
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3:02 While the mayor of Mariupol remains challenging, Russia is releasing footage of an alleged surrender of Ukrainian troops.
“Symbolic” event from “both sides”
The Ukrainian version of events – that the fire was caused by a missile strike – is “more likely” to be true, Air Force Marshal Phil Osborne, a former UK chief of intelligence, told Sky News before the ship sank.
The development is “quite symbolic on both sides,” he said, adding that “Moscow” is “quite a significant ship as far as Russia is concerned.”
Assuming the cruiser was indeed hit by a Ukrainian missile, the strike was “less loss of the ship and more demonstration of Ukrainian capabilities,” he added.
“Moscow, which dates back to the Soviet era, was put into operation 40 years ago, but has been refurbished,” he said.
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Mr Marchenko’s comments on the sinking of the ship refer to an incident the day after the Russian invasion began, when Moscow was one of two Russian ships approaching Snake Island in the Black Sea.
The Russians ordered 13 Ukrainian soldiers defending the island to surrender, prompting one to tell Moscow and its radio crew to “hang out”.
Ukrainian soldiers were initially thought to have been killed, but the country’s navy later said they had been captured alive by Russia.
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