Moskva guided missile cruiser sinks while being towed

The loss of the Russian guided-missile cruiser Moskva, a flagship in the Black Sea, which sank on Thursday is a “big blow” to the Russian fleet in the region, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

– “It will have consequences for their” (Russians’) combat capabilities, as the ship was “a key element in their efforts to establish dominance in the Black Sea” – Kirby stressed in a statement to CNN. “I don’t even know when the last time a ship of this size sank during a military confrontation” – the Pentagon spokesman said, adding that he could not confirm the origin of the fire aboard the Moskva.

The Russian defence ministry said on Thursday evening that the cruiser Moskva had sunk while being towed in storm conditions. Earlier, the Ukrainian army reported that the ship was hit by two Neptune missiles. Moscow did not confirm this information, saying that “there was a fire”.

In turn, the Pentagon reported that at the time of the explosion, the Moskva was about 100 km from the coast, i.e. within range of the Ukrainian Neptune missiles. At the same time, the US neither confirmed nor denied that the Ukrainian attack was the cause of the cruiser’s damage.

Source: PortalMorski