Moskva explodes and sinks in the Black Sea

The Russian warship got damaged by an explosion. Moskva is the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. It towed to port when stormy seas made it sink. The 510-crew missile cruiser was a symbol of Russia’s military power. It leads to the naval assault on Ukraine.

Kyiv stated that its missiles hit the warship. Moscow did not report any attack. It said that the vessel sank after a fire. The blaze leads to an explosion of the warship’s ammunition.

Russia stated that the entire crew evacuated later to Russian vessels in the Black Sea. Initially, the warship was afloat. Later the Russian defense ministry announced that they did not find Moskva. The 12,490-tonne vessel is the biggest Russian warship to sunk in action since World War Two.

The Russian defense ministry stated, “While being towed… towards the destined port, the vessel lost its balance due to damage sustained in the hull as fire broke out after ammunition exploded. Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank.”

Ukrainian military officials stated that they were with Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles. This is a weapon after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. This is also a naval threat to Ukraine in the Black Sea grew.

The ship’s sinking described as a “big blow”. American officials got unable to confirm whether Ukrainian Neptune missiles were responsible. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also stated to CNN that possibilities do exist that Ukraine did this with a Neptune missile.

A senior Ukrainian official stated that as many as 510 crew were on board. The Moskva gained notoriety after calling on a small garrison of Ukrainian border troops. Moskva was also defending Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender.

This was on the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moskva originally built in the Soviet era. The Moskva entered service in the early 1980s. The vessel laid down in Ukraine’s southern city of Mykolaiv.

Credits: BBC