![]() ![]() Naval officials first said that they were towing the warship back, a later statement the same day said that on its journey back to port, the ship ‘lost its balance.’Ī fire was the official party line, with no remote references to any missile strike. The entire crew have been evacuated,’ before the ship went down. Russia’s defence ministry had issued a statement saying ‘the vessel is seriously damaged. It must be added that no one thus far has been able to verify any claims on either side. The 300 km-range cruise missile system was designed by Ukrainians in response to the growing, following the Crimea annexation, to counter Russia in the Black Sea. Ukraine claims it struck the vessel with its recently-acquired Neptune missiles, with many in the global media and US defence insiders believing Ukraine’s version. The Russian defence ministry said ammunition onboard exploded in an unexplained fire. The warring sides may agree on the skirmishes on the borders, not what caused the sinking though. So what caused the Moskva sinking-a fire or a missile attack? The Moskva played a command role in these operations, as the ringleader that led from the shadows. Navy’s Tomahawk, came later.Īs the war progressed the Russians began conducting larger-scale amphibious missions to intimidate the Ukrainians. The Moskva is said to have remained further offshore and not involved in any active combat.Īs an older warship, Moskva did not have land attack cruise missiles. Attacks on merchant ships followed, as the Russian navy sought to create a blockade. Russian warships began conducting intimidation missions close to Odesa in early March, led by the now infamous incident involving Hyrbov. This did not happen as the Russian advance in Crimea was slow. This would have been a significant advantage, as creating a land bridge to Transnistria, a Russian-backed unrecognized breakaway state in Moldova would further the Russian advance. If Russia took control of Odesa would, Ukraine would be cut off from the water, almost landlocked. Snake Island, Home Base And Power DemonstrationĪs the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, Moskva was principally operating in the vicinity of Snake Island, a ways off from the strategic target of Odesa, Ukraine’s principle Black Sea port. Moskva, and virtually all Russian warships, periodically returned to their home port of Sevastopol on Crimea. Along with the famed S-400 missile systems based at Sevastopol and other units based in Crimea, gave Russia a significant advantage in the waters. She carried 64 S-300F Rif air defense missiles, which gave her dominance in the northern Black Sea region. The Moskva however played a major defense role, which made her unique in the Russian fleet. The Vulkan missiles were largely for show in a mostly unhindered Russian presence in the Black Sea. Originally the P-500 Bazalt type missiles were commissioned for the Slava class, but they now carry the more potent P-1000 Vulkan class. They are therefore designed with missile-carrying capacity in mind, 16 supersonic anti-ship missiles to be precise. Instead of escorting their own aircraft carrier, the Slavas are intended as primary attack vehicles. The Russian Navy’s concept of a cruiser is different from carrier-centric U.S. It carried over a dozen Vulkan anti-ship missiles and an array of anti-submarine and mine-torpedo weapons, the reports said. The 510-crew warship led Russia’s naval assault on Ukraine, making it an important symbolic and military target. ![]() The missile cruiser was previously deployed by Moscow in the Syria conflict where it supplied Russian forces in the country with naval protection. Originally built in Ukraine in the Soviet-era, the Moskva entered service in the early 1980s according to Russian media. Once the island was taken, and Moskva settled in to a wartime routine. The warship sitting off the island was none other than Moskva, the most powerful warship in the Black Sea.Ī Slava class cruiser, the Moskva was a behemoth armed to the teeth, making it an obvious contender as the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. ![]() Ukrainian border guard Roman Hrybov famously remarked ‘ Russian warship, go F*** yourself!‘. On the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian warships started making their presence felt in the Black Sea to portent the events that were to follow. ![]()
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