Russia’s defense ministry said Russian sailors evacuated Moskva, the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, after it caught fire.
Moskva had begun to sink after it was hit by Ukrainian missiles, claim Ukraine’s Operational Command South.
“In the Black Sea operational zone, Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles hit the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet — it received significant damage,” the statement released by Ukrainian officials said.
On Thursday, Russia’s defense ministry, however, said the Moskva “remains afloat”. The ministry also reported that the crew onboard had been evacuated.
“We’re not quite exactly sure what happened here. We do assess that there was an explosion, at least one explosion on this cruiser. A fairly major one at that, that has caused extensive damage to the ship,” says Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.
If it is confirmed to be a Ukrainian missile that damaged the Russian flagship, it will be a huge victory for them.
