The Russian army suffered heavy losses in the battle for Ukraine. As the Defense Ministry announced in Moscow on Thursday evening, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has sunk. The flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet lost its “stability” in heavy seas while being towed. The Ukraine had already claimed the day before that it had hit and even sunk the “Moskva” – the pride of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – with two missiles. Moscow denied it, saying a fire broke out after the ammunition exploded.
The ship, last docked off the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, has a crew of about 500 and was instrumental in the sea-launched missile strikes on Ukraine. As late as Thursday morning, the Russian army had emphasized that the fire could be limited and that the warship would be towed back to port. The main weapons of the “Moskva” were not damaged and the ship is not in danger of sinking. The ship has a tonnage of 12,500. No warship of this size has sunk since World War II.
Great symbolic significance
The command ship is of great symbolic importance to Russia because, in addition to military use, it was also repeatedly used for diplomatic purposes. The Atlant-class missile cruiser is designed as an aircraft carrier destroyer. In 1983 it was put into service under the name “Slava” (Glory) under the Soviet era. The 186-metre warship, renamed Moskva (Moscow) in May 1995, was armed with 16 Basalt/Wulkan anti-ship missiles – the naval version of the S-300 long-range missiles – and Osa short-range missiles. It also had rocket launchers and torpedoes.
The ship was first deployed in an armed conflict in Georgia in August 2008. After Russia intervened in the Syrian war on the side of ruler Bashar al-Assad, the “Moskva” was deployed in the eastern Mediterranean between September 2015 and January 2016. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, she has secured the Russian air base Hmeimim in Syria.
Involved in offensive since February
Since February 24, the missile cruiser has also been involved in the Russian offensive against Ukraine. At the start of the conflict, the ship had attacked the Ukrainian Snake Island near the Romanian border. Radio communications with Ukrainian border guards on the island went viral: When asked to surrender, the border guards replied, “Fuck you!”. Shortly after, the “Moskva” and the ship “Vassily Bykov” shelled the island, the Ukrainian soldiers were captured.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
