Russia has confirmed the Moskva missile cruiser, the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet, has sunk while being towed to port following what it said was a fire and explosions involving ammunition stowed onboard.
Ukraine says the Moskva’s fate was sealed by a missile strike launched by its forces from the coast which ripped open the hulking Soviet-era ship’s hull.
Russia’s defence ministry has not confirmed that version of events. Reuters is unable to verify either side’s assertions.
Here’s what we do know, and what the sinking means (and does not mean) for Russia’s battle-readiness:
Russia has powerful air defence systems deployed in Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, but the Moskva was able to provide long-range and mobile air defence protection for the entire Black Sea Fleet and was a floating command and control centre.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows cruiser Moskva in port Sevastopol in Crimea on April 7.
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP
Its loss potentially leaves the fleet more exposed, particularly on longer range missions west of Crimea.
The ship had a crew of around 500 sailors who Russia said were successfully evacuated to other ships before being returned to their home port of Sevastopol in Crimea on Friday.
Ukraine has suggested there are likely to have been fatalities, but Russia has not said anything on the subject yet.
Probably not, but Britain’s Ministry of Defence says its loss is likely to prompt Russia to review its naval posture in the Black Sea. While a huge blow to Russian military morale, the Russian navy has so far not played a big role in what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
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A file photo dated Nov. 15, 2013 shows guided missile cruiser of the Russian Navy, Moskva, passing through the Dardanelles strait in Canakkale, Turkey. Russia’s Defence Ministry says a fire broke out on naval cruiser Moskva on April 14, while Ukrainian officials say it was struck by a missile.
Burak Akay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Russia retains naval dominance in the immediate region and the Moskva was primarily equipped to destroy enemy vessels at sea but little is left of Ukraine’s navy.
Not clear, but some analysts say it may have helped support a possible Russian amphibious landing in the Ukrainian port of Odesa that has not happened yet because of resistance from Ukrainian forces.
Its sinking may be seen in some quarters in Ukraine as reducing the chances of such an assault and allow Ukraine to redeploy some of its forces elsewhere.
No. Russia has two other ships of the same class, the Marshal Ustinov and the Varyag, which serve with Russia’s Northern and Pacific fleets respectively.
In this file photo provided by the Russian Defence Ministry Press Service, Russian navy missile cruiser Moskva is on patrol in the Mediterranean Sea near the Syrian coast on Dec. 17, 2015.
Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP
Turkey, which controls access to the Black Sea via the Bosphorus, will not let them enter at a time of war.
No. It had anti-ship missiles and surface-to-air missiles, but was not equipped with Russia’s latest generation Kalibr cruise missiles or hypersonic missiles.
Not very. Designed in the 1970s Soviet Union during the Cold War, it was conceived to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers and had been in service for nearly four decades.
It underwent an extensive refit, and according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence, only returned to operational status in 2021. Despite that refit, some of its hardware remained outdated.
It’s a bitter loss for the Russian military as the ship, though aging, was a symbol of the Crimea-based Black Sea Fleet and of Russian military pride.
If it was holed by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles, it would be the biggest Russian warship to be lost in action since 1941, when German dive bombers crippled the Soviet battleship Marat in Kronshtadt harbor.
Western diplomats and experts expect senior officers in the Black Sea Fleet to lose their jobs over the sinking.
© 2022 Reuters
