Washington D.C –
Pentagon refute claims Russia who said his warship sank due to an ammunition explosion. The Pentagon believes the Russian warship sank after being hit by two Ukrainian Neptune missiles.
As reported by AFP on Saturday (4/16/2022), the Russian missile attack was a “big blow” for Russia. A Pentagon official who asked not to be named confirmed the Kiev report about the sinking of the Russian ship, which Russia claimed was caused by ammunition that exploded on board.
“We judge that they hit it with two Neptunes,” the official said, referring to a Ukrainian anti-ship cruise missile.
He said the attack was believed to have caused casualties. However, he could not confirm the number of victims.
“It’s hard to judge how many,” he said.
He added that the United States had observed survivors found by other Russian ships in the area. Russia said the crew of the Moskva were evacuated to a nearby ship.
The ship sank Thursday after an explosion and fire that Ukraine claimed were caused by a missile attack — while Russia said damage caused by exploding ammunition had caused the ship to “lose balance” as it was being towed into port.
“It’s a big blow symbolically,” a Pentagon official said.
“There is an aspect of pride,” he continued.
A knock-on effect of sinking, he predicted, could be a form of “risk aversion” in the Russian navy.
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