The sinking of Moscow has been compared to an Argentine cruiser destroyed in the Falklands War. There is no confirmed information on the cause of the ship’s fire.
There is no confirmed information on the cause of the sinking of the Moscow ship.
According to Ukraine, the ship was hit by Neptune missiles. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, a fire broke out on board. The ship sank the night between Thursday and Friday. The missile cruiser was towed towards the Sevastopol naval base in Crimea when, according to Russia, it sank in rough seas. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the fire that spread to the ammunition depot caused explosions and damaged the hull.
The fate of the crew is unclear
510 Marines served on the Moscow ship. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the crew had left the ship. Turkey says it has rescued fifty soldiers from the sea.
The crew is said to have left the ship after a fire spread to the ammunition depot. The damage was reported on Thursday by Russian news agencies Interfax and Tass, among others.
According to Russian offices, the missile cruiser had 16 anti-ship cruise missiles with a range of at least 700 kilometers.
Compared to the destruction of the Falkland War missile cruiser
The reason for Moscow’s sinking has therefore not been confirmed.
Britain and Argentina waged a short war in 1982 over ownership of the Falkland Islands. In May 1982, torpedoes of a British submarine sank the Argentine missile cruiser General Belgrano. 368 Marines died on board.
The defeat of the Russian navy is the largest single since World War II, writes Helsinki’s SlesinPenino
Reputation damage to Russia
The vessel was described by Russia as the strongest in the Russian navy. According to Penttilä, the damage to Moscow meant a weakening of both defense and leadership capabilities for Russia.
Built in 1979, the ship, formerly known as Slava, took part in the wars in Georgia and Syria, among others. It has also been involved in scientific sailing, in collaboration with the United States. During the Cold War, the ship had cargo of nuclear weapons.
A U.S. military source quoted by news agency Reuters said that after the damage to Moscow, other Russian ships in the northern Black Sea moved further south.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi praised the will of the Ukrainians on Friday in a 50-day war.
– Russian ships know how to go elsewhere, some to the bottom, said President Zelenskyi, referring to the destruction of Moscow.