Moscow, the flagship of the Russian Navy in the strategic Black Sea enclave, sank after suffering “serious damage” after an explosion, the causes of which have not yet been determined. Ukraine claims its two missiles hit the ship, while Russia does not speak of an attack on Ukraine.
Details about what happened to the ship are still to be found out. This is what is known at this time.
Both Russia and Ukraine agree that the explosion on the ship occurred Wednesday through Thursday night, in the middle of a hurricane that caused significant damage, but they disagree on what caused it. There is no independent investigation at this time to determine whether it was a rocket attack or an accident.
The Russian Defense Ministry says a fire broke out on a ship loaded with ammunition, causing an explosion in its arsenal. Russia has not released any additional information on the cause of the fire and says an “investigation” is underway. He claims the fire is “controlled”, its origins are “localized” and “machine gun explosions” are localized.
In a statement issued by the state press, Russia did not indicate that the incident was caused by the Ukrainian military.
However, official Ukrainian sources claim that the ship exploded and sank further due to a rocket attack.
Maxim Marchenko, the Ukrainian governor of the Odessa port region, assured the Telegram that Moscow had been hit by two Ukrainian-made Neptune cruise missiles.
Adviser to the President of Ukraine Alexei Arestovich posted a video on Twitter, where he claims that the moment of the rocket attack on a Russian ship from Ukraine was captured. In it the joke of Ukrainian soldiers is heard about the blow.
The Southern Operations Command of the Ukrainian Land Forces also said on Facebook that Moscow had been attacked by Ukrainian missiles, causing “significant damage”, a fire on board and an explosion in its arsenal.
The President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky in his usual night message made a reference to this event, where he listed the achievements of the Ukrainian resistance:
“Ukraine is protected by our people, all our people (…) who have shown that Russian ships can … go to the bottom.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with MSNBC that the U.S. could not verify any of these versions at this time and that they could only confirm that “a pretty big explosion” occurred based on images taken by them. Was able to watch. “There was an explosion, but we do not know what caused this explosion,” he added.
Western Guardian sources quoted by The Guardian as saying they were skeptical of the Russian version of events.
“I have no prior knowledge of a fire on a warship that caused the munitions to explode,” the source said, adding that he found it “believable” that Ukrainian forces had attacked the ship with their missiles.
U.S. Department of Defense sources told the media that the deck of this type of ship usually contains flammable elements that could cause fire or explosion, such as fuel, ammunition or artillery pieces: “It could be the result. Attacking with a rocket, it could have been something else.
Without confirming that the explosion was caused by a Ukrainian shell, the U.S. defense confirms that at a distance where Moscow was off the coast, it would be within range of Ukrainian Neptune missiles.
The ship’s crew usually consists of about 500 soldiers. Russia has not confirmed the number of people on board at the time of the incident.
Russian defense officials said the entire crew was evacuated to other Russian warships before the sinking. No casualties were reported in Russia.
The Operational Command of the Ukrainian Land Forces said on Facebook (OC South) on Facebook that after the missile hit, explosions from the ship’s arsenal hit Russian rescue ships trying to approach.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvidas Anushauskas posted a chronology of events on his Facebook page, although he did not specify the origin of this information. According to a Lithuanian official, “the SOS signal left the ship at 1:05 pm.” “At 1:14 the ship turned to one side and half an hour later the electricity was cut off. At 14:00 the Turkish ship evacuated 54 sailors and a few hours later Turkey and Romania announced that the ship had sunk completely. According to the Lithuanian Minister, “there were 485 people on board.”
No testimonies or pictures of the Moscow crew were released.
Initially, the Russian Defense Ministry said the ship “maintained its resilience” and that “the main missile weapons were not damaged,” adding that measures were being taken to “ship” the ship to port.
Hours later, a new defense statement convinced him that the ship had sunk.
“While towing to the port of destination Moscow cruiser, the ship lost stability due to damage to the hull caused by the explosion of ammunition during the fire. “The ship sank in a stormy sea,” the military department said in a statement released by Russian state media.
A U.S. Pentagon spokesman said “based on the pictures” they were able to consult, the ship was operating “on its own energy” and it was heading east, presumably for repairs in the port of Sebastopol.
Russia has not released pictures of the condition of the ship after the explosion, before the ship sank.
Several official Ukrainian sources indicated that the ship turned around at the moment of the missile strike and began to sink. The Southern Operations Command (OC South) of the Ukrainian Land Forces said that a strong storm “turned the ship”. This was announced by the Odessa City Council in a telegram.
Verified images of the attack, for which Ukraine has claimed responsibility, have not been released so far.
During the event, a storm observed in the Black Sea prevented ordinary satellites from filming the area of the incident to find out what condition the ship was in and where it sank, as there is high cloudiness on this side.
The last aerial photo to appear from Moscow was a reflection of this news, taken by Maxar’s satellites on April 7th. It shows a ship in the port of Sevastopol, Crimea.
The Pentagon referred to the “images” of the area they had access to, but did not elaborate on their nature and content; Neither is it released.
According to The New York Times, the ship was commissioned in 1983, still in Soviet times, after being assembled in the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv.
Russian news agencies note that 12,500 tons of Moscow were armed with 16 P-1000 Vulkan cruise missiles with a range of at least 700 km. The ship was also equipped with several cannons, anti-aircraft systems and torpedoes. Its length was about 186 meters and reached a speed of 32 knots (59 km / h). He also had a helicopter.
Russia initially said most of its arsenal was preserved despite the blast. However, a few hours later he sank.
Called the capital of Russia, Moscow has been the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet since 2000.
This is a significant loss for Russia at a key moment in the attack on Ukraine. This is the biggest naval disaster since World War II.
It was a major asset in recent Russian naval competitions. After being used during the invasion of Crimea in 2014, it was deployed off the coast of Syria to support Russian troops.
On July 22, 2016, the Moscow Cruiser was awarded the Nakhimov Naval Order, one of the highest awards of the Russian Navy since the time of the USSR. In the same year it underwent a major overhaul and renovation, which extended its lifespan.
As reported by the Russian agency TASS, this review allowed the Soviet ship to remain in operation until 2040. “This will be a record number of first-class Russian warships in total service life,” the agency said.
Its sinking will be a serious blow to the image and morale of the Russian army after a seven-week war, for whatever reason: either a blow was dealt by the enemy, or an accident indicates negligence on board the ship.
“The loss of the flagship of the Russian fleet will be a major psychological blow to the Russians,” Colin Koch, a maritime security expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, told the Washington Post.
Added to this is the fact that Russia has already suffered another naval loss during its invasion of Ukraine. On March 24, Ukraine destroyed a Russian ship in the occupied Black Sea city of Berdyansk, whose photos and videos were published.
U.S. defense sources told the media that according to information available to them, the ship was “60 to 65 nautical miles” (111 to 125 kilometers) south of the port city of Odessa when it exploded. Moscow acted as part of the Russian fleet in the area.
It has been strategically deployed since the start of the invasion of the Black Sea to lead a naval attack. Loaded with anti-aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles, he had enough weapons to defeat the Ukrainian resistance.
The sinking of Moscow could do great damage to your military strategy. By this time, its troops were regrouping in the east and preparing for a new offensive phase after withdrawing from much of the north, including Kiev.
The incident means the Russian army fleet has moved south in the region, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed Thursday.
This move comes at a time of key battle in the region. Russian troops spent days trying to capture the port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, which was completely destroyed after a siege from the very first days of the invasion, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties. .
Military analysts believe that Russia is trying to turn Mariupol’s first major victory in their war. If they succeed, they will control a strip of land that will allow them to align their troops with the troops in the eastern Donbass region of Crimea that they are targeting.
Whether it is a rocket attack or not, the fact that Russia’s flagship has sunk into the Black Sea is a victory for Ukraine and a moral uplift for its eastern troops trying to maintain their defensive positions.
“Even though things have hurt Moscow, Ukrainians and their supporters probably perceive it as poetic justice,” James Blake, a Russian military expert, told the Washington Post.
Moscow became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance a day after the start of the Russian invasion. The military attack from the ship was aimed at soldiers guarding an island in the Black Sea known as Snake Island, 40 kilometers from NATO territory.
The Ukrainian navy was threatened by the Russian navy, which even warned that if they did not lay down their arms, they would bomb. “Russian ship, go to hell.” It was the response of a Ukrainian officer who took the floor.
This phrase became a kind of phrase that appeared on T-shirts, billboards and road signs. The Ukrainian government has also released a commemorative ring depicting a soldier brushing a Russian ship.
After the news of the incident, Ukrainian memes multiplied as the main character of Mosvak. Some of them point to the Titanic, which also began sinking on April 14th.
Source: El Diario
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.
