The Russian Defense Ministry says there is significant damage to the warship Moskva, which lies in the Black Sea. According to Russia, there was a fire on the ship, after which ammunition exploded. The crew would have been evacuated.
The Ukrainian governor of the Odessa region and Ukrainian media reported hours earlier that the ship had been hit by Ukrainian missiles. These would be Neptune cruise missiles.
The Russians do not confirm that the ship was attacked; the cause of the fire is yet to be investigated. According to Ukraine, there were 500 soldiers on board, but that too has not been confirmed by Russia.
The Moskva is the flagship of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. It was built in the early 80s in the Ukrainian city of Mikolayiv. The Moskva has played an important role in the Russian military operation to keep Syrian leader Assad in power since 2015.
The warship also made headlines at the start of the war in Ukraine. It was located off the coast of Snake Island in the Black Sea and asked Ukrainian border guards on the island to surrender. Released audio clips showed the Ukrainians shouting ‘get the clothes’ to the Russians.
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