Moskva seen from the air in 2009. Credit: Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0/WikipediaRussia’s defense ministry confirmed on Thursday that an explosion aboard Moskva, the flagship of the country’s Black Sea Fleet, has “seriously damaged” the vessel.
The ministry’s statement said: “The cruiser Moskva’s ammunition has detonated as a result of a fire on the warship. The vessel is seriously damaged. The entire crew have been evacuated. The cause of the blaze is being investigated.”
Ukraine said the 186m-long vessel was struck by their Neptune missiles.
Ukrainian presidential aide Oleksiy Arestovych said Russian rescuers were unable to reach the vessel, which could have had as many as 510 crew members on board.
“It has been confirmed that the missile cruiser Moskva today went exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island!” Odesa regional governor Maksym Marchenko wrote in his Telegram post.
