Russian navy evacuates badly damaged flagship in Black Sea. Ukraine claims it was hit by a missile
(CNN) – One of the Russian Navy’s most important warships has been badly damaged in the Black Sea, a massive blow to a military struggling against Ukrainian resistance 50 days into Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his neighbor.
Russian sailors evacuated the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, after a fire that detonated ammunition aboard, Russia’s defense ministry said.
Ukraine’s Operational Command South claimed Thursday that the Moskva had begun to sink after it was hit Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles.
“In the Black Sea operational zone, Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles hit the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet — it received significant damage,” the statement said. “A fire broke out. Other units of the ship’s group tried to help, but a storm and a powerful explosion of ammunition overturned the cruiser and it began to sink.”
Russia’s defense ministry said Thursday that the Moskva “remains afloat” and that measures were being taken to tow it to port. The ministry said the crew had been evacuated to other Black Sea Fleet ships in the area.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told CNN’s Brianna Keilar that “there was an explosion” on the Moskva, but said the United States cannot say at this point if the ship was hit by a missile.
“We’re not quite exactly sure what happened here. We do assess that there was an explosion, at least one explosion on this cruiser. A fairly major one at that, that has caused extensive damage to the ship,” Kirby said.
“We assess that the ship is able to make its own way, and it is doing that; it’s heading more towards, now, we think the east. We think it’s probably going to be putting in at Sevastapol for repairs,” he added.
Whatever happened to the Moskva, analysts say its loss would strike hard at the heart of the Russian navy as well as national pride, comparable to the US Navy losing a battleship during World War II or an aircraft carrier today.
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One of the Russian Navy's most important warships is either floating abandoned or at the bottom of the Black Sea, a massive blow to a military struggling against Ukrainian resistance 50 days into Vladimir Putin's invasion of his neighbor https://t.co/RpvSHKyWgV
— CNN (@CNN) April 14, 2022
This is an immense humiliation https://t.co/RNznGdZwGR
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 13, 2022
actually we meant to lose our flagship, never liked it anyway, all going according to plan
— kilgore trout, death to putiner (@KT_So_It_Goes) April 13, 2022
Sinking of Russian BSF Flagship #Moskva likely will have no/minimal impact on #Russia–#Ukraine war, which is largely a land battle, but what a morale booster for Ukraine. https://t.co/mgBR8R88HN
— Steven Pifer (@steven_pifer) April 14, 2022
ukraine postal service ftw pic.twitter.com/ZbhShlt9yc
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) April 14, 2022
Russia state-owned news agency reports that the Russian flagship for the Black Sea has sunk: https://t.co/Pocjrs7q5U
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) April 14, 2022
JUST IN: Russian military’s damaged Black Sea flagship sinks https://t.co/yttHXVTana pic.twitter.com/GVIiTdS6eq
— The Hill (@thehill) April 14, 2022
Also, notice how hot they are to make this about NATO. In their world, losing to NATO is losing to a peer, the real humiliation is that they’re losing to Ukraine.
That’s why they need to keep losing to Ukraine. https://t.co/0mxPujX1cO— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 15, 2022
Two Ukrainian Neptune missiles hit Russia's flagship Moskva, a senior Pentagon official says. Moscow says the Russian cruiser sank in stormy seas after an accidental fire caused an explosion. https://t.co/CtGz1xbWGT
— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) April 15, 2022
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