The flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, “Moskva”, which hit earlier by the Ukrainians with Neptune anti-ship missiles, has begun to sink, according to the southern military command of the Ukrainian army.
In a post on Facebook, the southern military administration said that the fire in Moscow started after the blow. He added that the work of the Russian rescue ships was hampered by the explosions of the ammunition carried by the cruiser, as well as the bad weather conditions.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the cruiser has not sunk and that the explosions in it have stopped.
#BREAKING Russian missile cruiser ‘remains afloat’ after munitions explosion: ministry pic.twitter.com/NisRYFustU
– AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 14, 2022
“The fire has been brought under control, there are no flames. The explosions of ammunition have stopped. “The Moskva cruiser is still buoyant,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that it was investigating the cause of the crash.
“Measures are being taken to tow the cruiser to the port,” the ministry continued.
Moskva is the main missile cruiser of the Russian army in the Black Sea and the strike has significant military as well as psychological value for Ukraine.
Mykola BelieskovZelensky’s military adviser, describes the incident as “a very powerful psychological tool in the direction of to raise the morale of the Ukrainians “.
However, he stressed that Moskva “is an old ship and the Russian blows to Ukraine with Caliber missiles are fired by other, newer ships”.
«Even so, it’s a huge blow to the Russians, not only materially, but also morally.“, He emphasizes.
From his side, Professor Michael PetersenDirector of Russian Naval Studies at the US Naval War College, speaking at Radio 4 stated:
Psychological but also military value
“It’s too early to tell what exactly happened, but more and more it seems that the Ukrainians have succeeded a not insignificant victory at sea. “I think it has a symbolic and military character,” he explains.
Moskva is the flagship of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea and although a bit old, it is the symbol of the Russian naval power in the Black Sea.
He says that the Ukrainians lost most of their naval power during the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, when “this is significant symbolically because, after all, it shows that they are still capable of dealing a blow to the Russian military in ways that really hurt Moscow.”
He added that the development could have “significant military value as well”, as “the Russian navy may feel compelled to operate more openly now than before”.
“This could affect the ability of the Russians to provide direct fire cover to troops fighting on land and to impede Russia’s ability to conduct air defense in coastal areas. I think it will make the Russian navy think twice.”
The Moskva crew has been removed from the ship, while “the main missile launcher has not been hit,” the Russian Defense Ministry assured.
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