Breaking update: Two Ukrainian missiles sank Russian flagship missile cruiser Moskva – Pentagon

Two Ukrainian missiles sank the Russian flagship missile cruiser Moskva according to the Pentagon.

Russia claimed the Moskva sank ‘while being towed to port’.

A TOP Pentagon official claimed on Friday, April 15, that two Ukrainian missiles sank the Russian flagship missile cruiser Moskva, contrary to reports from Russia who claimed the vessel sank while being towed to port.

“We assess that they hit it with two Neptunes,” the official told reporters on condition of anonymity, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The senior official claimed that the US are able to confirm that Neptune missiles were in fact the source of the explosion on the ship.

The sinking of the Moskva “is a significant loss,” the official said on April 15. “It’s going to be a blow to their pride, and we would expect it will be a blow to their morale.”

On April 14, the Russian Defence Ministry said that their flagship missile cruiser sank in the Black Sea, off the coast of Ukraine, while being towed to port.

“During the towing of the Moskva cruiser to the port of destination, the ship lost its stability due to damage to the hull received during the fire from the detonation of ammunition. In the conditions of stormy seas, the ship sank,” Russia’s Defence Ministry said via TASS.

They added that, as previously reported, the crew of the cruiser was evacuated to the ships of the Black Sea Fleet in the area.

Since the Moskva sank on Wednesday, April 13, it has been reported by Ukrainian officials that the captain of the ship, Anton Valerievich, reportedly died when his ship went down.

According to Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Captain 1st Rank Anton Kuprin died after an explosion and fire on the Moskva (Moscow) missile cruiser.

“Captain 1st rank, commander of the cruiser Moskva — Anton V. Kuprin — died during an explosion and fire aboard the former flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. We do not grieve,” Gerashchenko said via Telegram channel on Friday, April 15.

After Russia claimed the ship wasn’t destroyed by them, Ukraine tweeted: “Russian warship, what are you sinking?”

Russian warship, what are you sinking?

— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) April 14, 2022

This new information comes after mixed reports circulated online as to how the ‘Moskva’ was destroyed.

On April 13, multiple Ukrainian government officials claimed that the 612-foot ‘Moskva’ (Moscow) naval vessel was destroyed by its country’s forces off the coast of the Ukrainian strategic port city of Odessa, located on the Black Sea in southwest Ukraine.

They claimed that a Neptune anti-ship battery caused very serious damage to the Russian ship on Wednesday, April 13.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyiv, said at the time: “The flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser “Moskva” [went] bang, bang, bang [when] something exploded. And the cruiser almost went down.”

Maksym Marchenko, head of the administration in Odessa, reiterated the claim: “It has been confirmed that the missile cruiser “Moskva” today went exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island! Neptune missiles … caused very serious damage to the Russian ship.”

Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych also said: “It burns strongly. Right now. And with this stormy sea it is unknown whether they will be able to receive help. There are 510 crew members.”

Speaking in a YouTube broadcast, Arestovych proclaimed: “We don’t understand what happened.”

However, Russian media outlets denied the claim from Ukraine on April 13.

They said that the cruiser was not attacked by Ukrainian forces, although they did confirm that the ‘Moskva’ had caught on fire before sinking.

“The Moskva was seriously damaged, and the crew was completely evacuated. Ammunition exploded which resulted in a fire,” according to Russia’s Defence Ministry on April 13.

The report continued: “The cause of the fire is still being established.”

Russian news outlet Ria noted that the missile cruiser of Project 1164 Moskva is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. It was built at the Nikolaev shipyard and put into service in 1982. It was originally named Slava.

As mentioned by Odessa’s head of the administration, Maksym Marchenko, it is believed that the Moskva was the Russian warship referenced in the infamous ‘go f*** yourself’ Snake Island clip. On March 29, one of the soldiers – Roman Hrybov – was awarded a medal of bravery for yelling the now infamous war line.

The attack on Snake Island occurred on the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was believed to have killed all of the Ukrainian soldiers defending the tiny Snake Island in the Black Sea, however, it was later revealed that the 13 border guards were captured by Russian forces.

In videos posted on social media at the time, audio apparently described a Russian warship approaching the island and asking the border guards to “surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims, otherwise, you’ll be bombed.”

The men refused, per that audio, with Hrybov reportedly responding with: “Russian warship, go f*ck yourself.”

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