As Russia’s war in Ukraine entered its fiftieth day, its flagship cruiser has sunk in the Black Sea, after a “fire” onboard triggered ammunition explosions. It’s the first main struggle ship to be taken down by cruise missiles since World War Two. At least, that’s the Ukrainian aspect of the story.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence has released a statement on state media confirming the vessel sank while being pulled to port for repairs in Crimea…
“During the towing of the Moskva cruiser to the port of vacation spot, due to injury to the hull acquired during the fireplace from the detonation of ammunition, the ship lost stability. In the conditions of stormy seas, the ship sank.”
Russian state media had earlier reported on Wednesday that a fire onboard the ship had detonated ammunition, requiring sailors to desert ship. They made no mention of a Ukrainian strike, neither did they report any casualties. Russia’s Ministry of Defence has simply released a statement concerning the incident, claiming…
“The fire on the cruiser Moskva is underneath management. There aren’t any flames visible. Ammunition provides are no longer exploding. The cruiser Moskva is still afloat. The major missile armoury has not been damaged. Last chance of the cruiser were evacuated to Black Sea Fleet vessels nearby. Measures are being taken to tow the cruiser into port. The causes of the hearth are at present being established.”
The ‘Moskva’ carried close-in missile protection methods, naval weapons and torpedos, in addition to various anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles — all of which could cause huge explosions onboard if fireplace had been to achieve its ammunition shops. According to the former director of operations on the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Carl Schuster…
“When a fireplace reaches your ammunition magazine[s], you’ve two decisions: One, flood them, or two, abandon ship. Otherwise your crew is onboard to be worn out by the catastrophic explosion that follows a fire reaching several hundred tons of ordnance.”
A guided missile cruiser, ‘Moskva’ is the flagship of the Russian navy’s Black Sea fleet. Storms over the realm have thus far obscured satellite imagery, stopping visual confirmation of the condition and placement of the vessel. However, experts say such a fireplace, whether the cause for a missile strike or not, could be sufficient to immediate an explosion, sinking the ship to the bottom of the sea.
At 186 metres long, and with a crew of practically 500, the ‘Moskva’ is the largest Russian naval ship within the Black Sea. According to the military web site Naval-Technology.com, the vessel was initially commissioned into the Soviet navy in the 1980s because the “Slava” earlier than being in 1995. It was then refitted with newer know-how, re-entering service in 1998.
In a post on Telegram, Odessa state regional administrator Maxim Marchenko claimed that Ukrainian forces have used Neptune cruises missiles to assault the ‘Moskva’. If true, the Moskva may be the largest warship ever taken out by a missile, according to Schuster, who’s a retired US Navy captain. The strike would also be a huge milestone for Ukrainian army.
The Neptune is a Ukrainian-made weapon based mostly on the Soviet KH-35 cruise missile. According to Ukrainian media stories, the Ukrainian navy started using the weapon in 2021. Ukraine claims they destroyed a Russian military ship in an occupied port at 2:02am on Tuesday morning.
This could be the first confirmed use of a Neptune missile during the warfare, according to a submit on the website of the Center for International Maritime Security, or CIMSEC, on Tuesday, which addressed the claimed attack.
In the CIMSEC publish, US Navy floor warfare officer Lt. Cmdr. Jason Lancaster who wrote that the theater of mobile, shore-based cruise missiles changes how an enemy behaves. He famous that Russian ships “will operate in methods to minimise the risk of detection and maximize their chances to defend themselves”.
In other wars, the Neptune missile effectively limits Russia’s capability to use their war ships to realize a strategic advantage.
“The added stress of sudden fight will increase fatigue and might lead to errors.”