Russia’s flagship Black Sea missile cruiser has sunk after being “seriously damaged”, Russian state media says. The defence ministry said ammunition on the Moskva exploded in an unexplained fire and that the ship tipped over while being towed back to port. Ukraine claims it struck the vessel with its Neptune missiles. The 510-crew warship had led Russia’s naval assault on Ukraine, which made it an important symbolic and military target. Earlier in the conflict the Moskva gained notoriety after calling on Ukrainian border troops defending Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender – to which they memorably radioed a message of refusal which loosely translates as “go to hell”. Prior to the sinking, Russia’s defence ministry issued a statement saying “the vessel is seriously damaged. The entire crew have been evacuated”. On Thursday afternoon, it said a fire onboard had been contained and that it would be towing the warship back to port. But a statement issued later on Thursday said that, while being towed, the ship “lost its balance due to damage sustained in the hull”. “Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank,” it said. Moscow again blamed the blast on an unexplained fire, making no mention of any missile strike. But Ukraine says it is responsible for an attack on the cruiser, which it claims it targeted with recently-introduced Ukrainian-made missiles. In a Facebook post before the ship sank, Ukrainian officials said Russian rescue efforts were being hampered by ammunition exploding on board and bad weather.
via bbc: Sunken Russian warship Moskva: What do we know?
siehe auch: Explosionen auf der „Moskwa“ – Russland verliert wohl sein wichtigstes Kampfschiff – was bisher bekannt ist. Das Flagschiff der russischen Schwarzmeerflotte wurde wohl schwer beschädigt. Unklar ist bisher, ob es tatsächlich versenkt wurde. Gesunken oder nicht gesunken – das ist die Frage, die Beobachter im Fall des russischen Kriegschiffes “Moskwa” derzeit umtreibt. Sicher ist: Bei einer Explosion Mittwochnacht ist das Schiff im Schwarzen Meer vor der Küste der Ukraine schwer beschädigt worden. Was die Explosion auslöste – ein ukrainischer Angriff oder Selbstverschulden der Besatzung – ist derzeit genauso unklar, wie der genaue Zustand des Schiffes: Russia’s Black Sea flagship sinks after ‘direct hits’. Kremlin blames ‘ammunition explosion’ for Moskva damage. Moskva, the Russian navy’s flagship vessel, was reported to be damaged. Stormy conditions hindered Russian rescue boats from helping the ship after a fire broke out
The flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has sunk in what western officials have described as a “massive blow” to the Kremlin. Moskva, a Slava-class warship that commanded about 30 vessels in the region, is thought to be the first cruiser lost in conflict since the sinking of the General Belgrano in the Falklands war in 1982 and the first such loss of a Russian vessel since the Second World War; Damaged flagship sunk in heavy seas, Russia says. As the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva was a symbol – a symbol of Russia’s military might. But crippled by fire and explosions onboard, the warship has now sunk. The Russian defence ministry said it went down during a storm while it was being towed back to harbour. Russia has not confirmed Ukrainian claims the damage to the vessel was caused by a missile strike on the ship. The loss of the Moskva is a blow to the prestige of the Russian armed forces. And it jars with President Putin’s claim, only two days ago, that what he calls his special military operation in Ukraine, is going according to plan; Schwarzes Meer: Putins Flaggschiff “Moskwa” ist untergegangen. Das Flaggschiff der russischen Schwarzmeerflotte “Moskwa” ist gesunken. Der Raketenkreuzer sei untergegangen, als er wegen eines Rumpfschadens bei rauer See zu seinem Zielhafen geschleppt wurde, gab das russische Verteidigungsministerium bekannt. Eine Detonation hätte ein Feuer ausgelöst und das Schiff beschädigt. Russlands Kriegsschiff “Moskwa”: Putins Tragödie wie bei der “Kursk”? Das Kriegsschiff sei durch ukrainischen Raketenbeschuss außer Gefecht gesetzt worden, hieß es schon zuvor aus Kiew. Russland hatte einen ukrainischen Angriff zunächst bestritten und nur davon gesprochen, dass ein Feuer an Bord ausgebrochen sei und man die Crew evakuiert habe. Der Brand sei eingedämmt und die “Moskwa” weiterhin seetüchtig hatte Verteidigungsminister Serguei Shoigu am Vormittag in Moskau noch gesagt.
By <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Roysma” title=”User:Roysma”>Roysma</a> – <span class=”int-own-work” lang=”en”>Own work</span>, Public Domain, Link