Russian military’s damaged Black Sea flagship sinks

Air Force Times

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, a guided-missile cruiser that became a potent target of Ukrainian defiance in the opening days of the war, sank Thursday after it was heavily damaged.

Russian officials acknowledged a fire aboard the Moskva but no attack, while Ukrainian officials said their forces hit the vessel with missiles. Western officials could not say what caused the fire.

The loss of the warship named for the Russian capital is a huge blow to Moscow as it regroups for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine.

The ship sank in a storm while being towed to a port, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The entire crew was forced to leave the ship because of the flames, according to Russia. The fire had been contained and the ship would be towed to the port with its missile launchers intact.

The ship can carry long-range cruise missiles, and its removal from combat reduces Russia's firepower in the Black Sea. It is a blow to Russian prestige in a war that has been seen as a historic blunder. Russia's invasion has stopped because of resistance from Ukrainian fighters, who are supported by weapons and other aid from Western nations.

The US will give Ukraine $800 million in weapons and equipment.

The news of the flagship's damage overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol, where they have been battling the Ukrainians since the early days of the invasion.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Konashenkov said that over a thousand Ukrainian troops surrendered at a metals factory in the city. The battle over the seaport is still going on, according to Vadym Denysenko, adviser to the interior minister.

It was not clear how many forces were still defending Mariupol.

Russian state television broadcasted footage that it said was from Mariupol, showing dozens of men in camouflage walking with their hands up and carrying others on stretchers. A man is holding a flag.

The capture of Mariupol would allow Russia to fully link up with its troops in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

A senior U.S. defense official said that the Russian military will likely add more ground combat units over the next few days.

The conflict in the Donbas began in the year that Russia seized the peninsula. Russia has recognized the independence of the rebel regions.

Losing the Moskva could delay any new offensive.

The governor of the Odesa region, Maksym Marchenko, said that the Ukrainians struck the ship with two Neptune missiles and caused serious damage.

Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukraine's president, called it an event.

Russia's Defense Ministry said that a fire caused the explosion on the plane. The main missile weapons were not damaged. The ship had missiles and guns as well as cruise missiles.

The Neptune is an anti-ship missile that was recently developed by Ukraine. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the missiles can hit targets up to 200 miles away. The Moskva would have been within range based on where the fire started.

Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, said Thursday that the U.S. was not able to confirm the claims of hitting the ship. He said it was a big blow to Russia.

One story is that it was just incompetence, and the other is that they came under attack, and neither is a good outcome for them.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows cruiser Moskva in port Sevastopol in Crimea on April 7, 2022. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP)

The first days of the war were said to be when The Moskva called on the Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island to surrender. In a recording, the soldier tells the Russian ship to go.

The AP could not verify the incident, but it is considered an icon by the supporters of the country. The country has a postage stamp.

Russia has lost thousands of fighters. Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee the conflict.

Ukraine and Russia are major producers of crops and energy and are dragging on the global economy. The head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday that the war helped push the organization to change their forecasts.

Russian authorities accused Ukraine of sending two low-flying military helicopters across the border and firing on residential buildings in the village of Klimovo in Russia's Bryansk region, some 11 kilometers from the frontier. Seven people, including a toddler, were wounded.

Russia's state security service said that Ukrainian forces fired mortar rounds at a border post in Bryansk, forcing refugees to flee.

The reports were not verified. Ukrainian security officials denied earlier this month that they were behind an air strike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod.

The Associated Press journalists contributed to the report.

Russia said its lead ship in the Black Sea sank on Thursday after an explosion and fire that Ukraine claimed was caused by a missile strike, dealing a blow to Moscow as it prepared for new attacks that were likely to determine the conflict. Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying that the Moskva sank as it was being towed to the port. Over 500 crew were evacuated from the Soviet-era missile cruiser after it exploded.
The Moskva missile cruiser is being towed to a port. The Moskva was gutted by fire and sank in a storm. Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, said Thursday that the U.S. was not able to confirm the claims of hitting the ship.
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