Russia has confirmed the fire on board the ship, but says the cause is unknown.
In addition to the cause of the fire, there are also conflicting reports that the ship has sunk, as Ukraine claims. However, this is rejected by both the Kremlin and the Pentagon. The press secretary for the latter, John Kirby, said on Thursday that the ship runs on its own engine, and is probably heading east for repairs, writes CNN.
Kirby also says that the United States does not currently have the opportunity to confirm what caused the fire on board.
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A US defense source said on Thursday afternoon that the ship was still fighting the flames, and that the fire seemed to be “extensive”, writes Reuters. The defense source also believes that the ship remains afloat.
The warship “Moscow” is the largest and most important in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and houses, among other things, extensive air defense systems, Lieutenant Colonel Geir Hågen Karlsen explains to Dagbladet TV.
The super ship on fire: – Crushing loss
– Not easy to lower
When asked if Ukraine has the competence to carry out a missile attack from land against a ship of this size, as they claim to have done, Karlsen answers:
– They have a so-called naval target missile, called Neptune, which is made especially for firing at naval vessels. It is completely new, and it is about a year since they got the first operatives, he explains.
According to Karlsen, the missiles have a range of around 300 kilometers.
– Ukraine claims they have fired two such missiles that have hit the warship. It has not been confirmed, but I assume that pictures in the future will be able to show if the ship has been hit, or if it is due to something else.
Lieutenant Colonel: Geir Hågen Karlsen. Photo: Christian Bugge Hjort / The Armed Forces
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He describes the vessel as “very large”, and believes that more missiles will often be needed to be able to sink a vessel of this size.
– What does it take?
– They are built to withstand hits in different ways, so if you get a fire or hit in one place, you have systems to block off and prevent it from spreading to other places. The same applies if you were to start taking in water.
In addition, ammunition depots are often located so that they are difficult to hit, he says.
– So this is not an easy ship to sink.
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– A threat
In addition to the Neptune missiles, Ukraine has also received promises of British donations of so-called harpoon target missiles, says Karlsen.
– And it will also be a threat to the Russian Navy in the Azov Sea and the Black Sea.
IMPORTANT SHIP: The warship “Moscow” is the largest in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Stock Photo: Vasiliy Batanov / AFP / NTB
sea view
The consequence for the Russian side is that they have to keep their vessels further from land, and place more emphasis on air defense, he says.
– “Moscow” is quite important, because it is the ship with the most air defense systems on board. So it is somewhat surprising that they have actually been hit by missiles, if this is true, Karlsen believes.
Do not see the husband
– Reduced capacity
Russia claims the fire broke out on the ship and was not due to Ukrainian hits. Karlsen says such things can occur due to, for example, electrical faults or overheating of the machinery.
– Then you can risk that it leads to explosions in gas equipment on board, fuel or other things. But if we get close-ups of the vessel, it will probably be possible to determine whether the explosion was internal or whether the ship was hit.
When asked what consequences it will have for Russia if the ship is put out of action, Karlsen says:
– There is a reduced capacity, but the Ukrainians have no naval forces left in the area, so in that sense the Russians are quite free to operate.
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