BREAKING: INVASION HAS BEGUN..... Putin's "3-day war"... NOW... 1 YEAR 338 DAYS ...WAGNER HEAD SAYS GROUP STANDING DOWN AFTER CLAIMS OF DEAL
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after that ship got, got I figured this would be the language
many of them Russians Feel they pussyfooting
The irony of RU, a supposed super power, having to ask India of all nations for food.
Russia reaches out for food, grocery supplies from India
Russia had to make the move as European Union stopped supplies for two months in a rowwww.livemint.com
The irony of RU, a supposed super power, having to ask India of all nations for food.
Russia may begin new offensive soon, U.S. officials say, as Ukraine runs through its stock of artillery shells
U.S. officials said the Russian military could begin moving some of its forces back into Ukraine as soon as this weekend or early next week.
Ukrainian servicemen are seen along the frontline in Donbas, Ukraine on April 14, 2022.
The next phase of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine could begin in the next few days, according to two senior U.S. defense officials, and Ukraine is rapidly running through artillery and artillery rounds.
The officials said a U.S. assessment is the Russian military could begin moving some of its forces back into Ukraine as soon as this weekend or early next week.
Russian troops retreated from around Kyiv and northern Ukraine about two weeks ago, moving north into Belarus and Russia.
At the time, U.S. officials assessed the Russians intended to re-group and then begin another invasion, focusing on the Donbas region and southeastern Ukraine
But now U.S. officials believe Russia may move troops back into Ukraine and begin the offensive before all the Russian troops are ready to fight again, a senior defense official said.
Ukrainians running through artillery rounds
Even as the Russian military has been preparing for the next phase of the invasion, Russia and Ukraine have continued fighting in the east and south.
During that time the Ukrainian military has been expending several thousand artillery shells every single day, a senior defense official said.
This week the Biden administration announced it was sending 40,000 artillery rounds and 18 155mm howitzers to Ukraine. But with the Ukrainian military using thousands per day, that 40,000 will only last a little over one week, the official explained. U.S. officials are working the phones to convince allies to send more artillery and ammunition to Ukraine so it doesn’t run out when the offensive ramps up.
Russian troops are likely to try to encircle Ukrainian troops arrayed along the border between Donbas and the rest of Ukraine in this coming offensive — a military move called a double envelopment. The Russian military relied heavily on long-range fire — cruise missiles, long-range artillery, airstrikes — in the early weeks of its assault on Ukraine, but the main weapons of this new offensive will likely be artillery and short-range missiles, a senior defense official said.
The Ukrainian military has some artillery but most of it is outdated, much is beaten up, and some has been destroyed by the Russians. The newer howitzers from the U.S. will be more durable than the existing Ukrainian artillery, the official said, but the world has to keep supplying Ukraine with munitions so it can stay in the fight.
The Russians have already begun shaping operations in the southeast, preparing the area around Donbas for a coming Russian ground invasion, according to a senior defense official. On Thursday a senior defense official said Russia has begun moving equipment into western Russia in preparation for the offensive, including helicopters that are now staged for insertion into Ukraine.
Russia may begin new offensive soon, U.S. officials say, as Ukraine runs through its stock of artillery shells (nbcnews.com)
,
U.S. officials said the Russian military could begin moving some of its forces back into Ukraine as soon as this weekend or early next week.
Ukrainian servicemen are seen along the frontline in Donbas, Ukraine on April 14, 2022.
The next phase of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine could begin in the next few days, according to two senior U.S. defense officials, and Ukraine is rapidly running through artillery and artillery rounds.
The officials said a U.S. assessment is the Russian military could begin moving some of its forces back into Ukraine as soon as this weekend or early next week.
Russian troops retreated from around Kyiv and northern Ukraine about two weeks ago, moving north into Belarus and Russia.
At the time, U.S. officials assessed the Russians intended to re-group and then begin another invasion, focusing on the Donbas region and southeastern Ukraine
But now U.S. officials believe Russia may move troops back into Ukraine and begin the offensive before all the Russian troops are ready to fight again, a senior defense official said.
Ukrainians running through artillery rounds
Even as the Russian military has been preparing for the next phase of the invasion, Russia and Ukraine have continued fighting in the east and south.
During that time the Ukrainian military has been expending several thousand artillery shells every single day, a senior defense official said.
This week the Biden administration announced it was sending 40,000 artillery rounds and 18 155mm howitzers to Ukraine. But with the Ukrainian military using thousands per day, that 40,000 will only last a little over one week, the official explained. U.S. officials are working the phones to convince allies to send more artillery and ammunition to Ukraine so it doesn’t run out when the offensive ramps up.
Russian troops are likely to try to encircle Ukrainian troops arrayed along the border between Donbas and the rest of Ukraine in this coming offensive — a military move called a double envelopment. The Russian military relied heavily on long-range fire — cruise missiles, long-range artillery, airstrikes — in the early weeks of its assault on Ukraine, but the main weapons of this new offensive will likely be artillery and short-range missiles, a senior defense official said.
The Ukrainian military has some artillery but most of it is outdated, much is beaten up, and some has been destroyed by the Russians. The newer howitzers from the U.S. will be more durable than the existing Ukrainian artillery, the official said, but the world has to keep supplying Ukraine with munitions so it can stay in the fight.
The Russians have already begun shaping operations in the southeast, preparing the area around Donbas for a coming Russian ground invasion, according to a senior defense official. On Thursday a senior defense official said Russia has begun moving equipment into western Russia in preparation for the offensive, including helicopters that are now staged for insertion into Ukraine.
Russia may begin new offensive soon, U.S. officials say, as Ukraine runs through its stock of artillery shells (nbcnews.com)
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There have been statements in this thread that RU is trying to avoid civilian casualties, so they haven't been blasting population centers and infrastructure to the degree they could. But, I don't think its out of compassion. First they want those billions of dollars of development on their balance sheet as productive assets, not complete write offs. Second they know, if and when they take this country the civilian atrocities their army has committed will be impossible to actually deny for very long because their is a vast social interconnection between their populations. In spite of what the official media says happened people will know and react differently to their government.
It still seems like they are going to have to bring the hammer if they really want to win this one, and that could mean chemical or even tactical nukes.
They are just engaging in revisionism as is their MO.
They haven't really tried yet, right? They have "spared" the cities and haven't used their real troops, right?
This is Mauripol right now...
They invaded Ukraine with roughly the same number of troops we invaded Iraq with (150K v. 160K) but somehow they aren't really trying yet? They deployed their elite of the elite to take Kyiv and take out Zelensky. Now that they have failed and suffered setbacks due to all types of stupidity and corruption, they will claim that they didn't actually try. 500K+ civilians forcibly relocated into Russia but they have "protected " the civilian population?
It is hilarious because it is what my little nephews say when I beat them at a video game. 
To give you perspective, the major "loss" of the Gulf War was when a scud managed to hit barracks and kill 28 people when a patriot missile battery failed to intercept it.
We will listen to Russian idiots today as if they didn't just lose 500 crew and their Black Sea flagship a day or so ago.
I agree,
In the begin i felt they attempted to not fuck over the people. I didn’t think that would work great because you pretty much have folks in your front and rear attacking…
I mean how could they tell someone was a soldier/fighter/ Nazi or a regular Joe blow…whiling dressed in norm clothes
They are just engaging in revisionism as is their MO.
They haven't really tried yet, right? They have "spared" the cities and haven't used their real troops, right?
This is Mauripol right now...
They invaded Ukraine with roughly the same number of troops we invaded Iraq with (150K v. 160K) but somehow they aren't really trying yet? They deployed their elite of the elite to take Kyiv and take out Zelensky. Now that they have failed and suffered setbacks due to all types of stupidity and corruption, they will claim that they didn't actually try. 500K+ civilians forcibly relocated into Russia but they have "protected " the civilian population?
To give you perspective, the major "loss" of the Gulf War was when a scud managed to hit barracks and kill 28 people when a patriot missile battery failed to intercept it.
yea you right… can’t argue with none of this
just think of folks feel they been taking it kinda easy, what kinda fucked up person is he?
Losing that lil boat, was huge….
McCarthy is a power driven piece of shit that can't even control his party trying to get kudos for this shit... trying to distract and be relevant... 
Bipartisan House delegation visits Poland
The bipartisan congressional delegation meets with the U.S. ambassador to Poland at the embassy in Warsaw.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers arrived in Poland this weekend to meet with U.S. forces and allies in the region.
Driving the news: During a stop in Warsaw, the group — led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, as well as Poland's defense minister and the U.S. ambassador to Poland, McCarthy's office announced in a press release Sunday.
At another stop in northeast Poland, the delegation met with Ukrainian refugees, Ukrainian officials and civil society members, as well as U.S. troops.
The 10-person delegation was made up of McCarthy and seven other Republicans, including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Michael Turner (R-Ohio), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), French Hill (R-Ark.), Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) and Mike Garcia (R-Calif.).
CONTINUED:
Kevin McCarthy leads bipartisan House delegation visit to Poland (axios.com)
Bipartisan House delegation visits Poland
A bipartisan group of lawmakers arrived in Poland this weekend to meet with U.S. forces and allies in the region.
Driving the news: During a stop in Warsaw, the group — led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, as well as Poland's defense minister and the U.S. ambassador to Poland, McCarthy's office announced in a press release Sunday.
At another stop in northeast Poland, the delegation met with Ukrainian refugees, Ukrainian officials and civil society members, as well as U.S. troops.
The 10-person delegation was made up of McCarthy and seven other Republicans, including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Michael Turner (R-Ohio), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), French Hill (R-Ark.), Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) and Mike Garcia (R-Calif.).
- Two Democrats, Reps. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), also took part in the delegation.
- "We are here — as representatives of the United States — to ensure we are doing what is right to support Ukrainians as they defend themselves and their democracy," he added.
- McCarthy lauded Poland as "an indispensable strategic partner" before adding that, “our visit today should serve as a powerful message to Putin that we condemn his unprovoked attacks. Evil cannot win.”
- "This is just heartbreaking to see the effects of people who are fleeing the war, with just the belongings that they could grab. With their young kids, perhaps just trying to seek safety," Turner told Fox News Digital on Sunday after touring a Polish refugee facility.
CONTINUED:
Kevin McCarthy leads bipartisan House delegation visit to Poland (axios.com)
OK this is funnyReminds me of this.
Another Russian General Has Been Killed In Ukraine
TOPLINE
Russian Major General Vladimir Frolov, deputy commander of the 8th Army, was buried Saturday after being killed in combat in Ukraine, Russian state media reported, which would make him the eighth Russian general killed in Moscow’s invasion, if Ukrainian claims are true.
KEY FACTS
A funeral for Frolov was held at a cemetery in St. Petersburg, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov said Frolov fought in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, TASS reported, without elaborating.
Some of the generals who were killed were veterans of Russian operations in Georgia and Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported, depriving the Kremlin of experienced leaders.
KEY BACKGROUND
As of the end of March, around 14 Russian generals and senior colonels had been claimed to be killed–a notable death toll likely to have disrupted Russia’s front-line operations. An unnamed Pentagon official said on March 25 that “it's not surprising to us to see that there are [Russian] generals on the battlefield” and vulnerable to Ukrainian fire. The official said Russians “don't delegate very well,” adding they “do not invest a lot of responsibility” in junior-level officers and “don't have a non-commissioned officer corps.”
Another Russian General Has Been Killed In Ukraine (forbes.com)
Another Russian General Has Been Killed In Ukraine
TOPLINE
Russian Major General Vladimir Frolov, deputy commander of the 8th Army, was buried Saturday after being killed in combat in Ukraine, Russian state media reported, which would make him the eighth Russian general killed in Moscow’s invasion, if Ukrainian claims are true.
A Ukrainian serviceman opens fire at a Russian drone with an assault rifle in the eastern part of the Ukrainian city Kharkiv on March 31, 2022.
KEY FACTS
A funeral for Frolov was held at a cemetery in St. Petersburg, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov said Frolov fought in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, TASS reported, without elaborating.
Some of the generals who were killed were veterans of Russian operations in Georgia and Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported, depriving the Kremlin of experienced leaders.
KEY BACKGROUND
As of the end of March, around 14 Russian generals and senior colonels had been claimed to be killed–a notable death toll likely to have disrupted Russia’s front-line operations. An unnamed Pentagon official said on March 25 that “it's not surprising to us to see that there are [Russian] generals on the battlefield” and vulnerable to Ukrainian fire. The official said Russians “don't delegate very well,” adding they “do not invest a lot of responsibility” in junior-level officers and “don't have a non-commissioned officer corps.”
Another Russian General Has Been Killed In Ukraine (forbes.com)
youth man about to be lead commanders for Russia now…
Did you hear that 1,000 members of the Ukrainian marines (their best trained and most highly regarded armed forces) surrendered to Russian troops? And that more than 100 Ukrainian officers were among those troops?
Oh you haven’t? We’ll it happened on Thursday. And for the past 24 hours Russia has been bombing the hell out of Kiev. Russian tv is saying Russia plans to launch long range missles into Ukraine now. If they do hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians will die.
Don’t let the above stop the cheerleading going on here.
Carry on. Which Russian troops wife cheated on him again?
Oh you haven’t? We’ll it happened on Thursday. And for the past 24 hours Russia has been bombing the hell out of Kiev. Russian tv is saying Russia plans to launch long range missles into Ukraine now. If they do hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians will die.
Don’t let the above stop the cheerleading going on here.
Carry on. Which Russian troops wife cheated on him again?
You call people cheerleaders while you cheer on Russia. Weird
How am I cheering anything on? I’m pointing out that the more we inject ourselves into this mess, the worse it’s getting.
This is not a time to cheer on a fight.
More than 7,000 unclaimed dead Russian soldiers stored in Ukrainian morgues, government says
Ukraine says Russia refuses to take back the bodies of their dead soldiers as Putin's Kremlin remains cagey about the high battlefield losses.
www.businessinsider.com
Damn…that is crazy
More than 7,000 unclaimed dead Russian soldiers stored in Ukrainian morgues, government says
Ukraine says Russia refuses to take back the bodies of their dead soldiers as Putin's Kremlin remains cagey about the high battlefield losses.
@zod16 man wtf…. What do u make of this
need you expert eye
Russia releases video claiming to show survivors of Moskva warship destroyed by Ukrainian attack
It was unclear when the meeting took place and a TASS report did not say.
One of the officers present resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking evidently caused by a Neptune missile strike.
In the soundless footage, around 120 sailors and officers can be seen standing at attention in dress uniform during the parade.
It took the Kremlin a day to acknowledge that the guided missile cruiser had been lost, although it claimed the vessel went down as it was being towed to port after a fire broke out on board.
Ukraine claimed the entire 510 crew of 12,500-ton vessel, including Anton Kuprin, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, had died. If true, it would represent the Russian navy's greatest loss of life at sea since World War II.
Russian naval chief meets 'survivors of Moskva warship'
After a virtual Moscow news blackout leading to speculation that hundreds had perished, footage showed the naval chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, 60, addressing naval officers and seamen in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol
The Moskva is a 12,500 tonne Project 1164 Slava class guided missile cruiser that was first launched in 1979. She replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
One of the officers present resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking evidently caused by a Neptune missile strike
Russia has released a video that claims to show the survivors of the doomed sunken Moskva warship, including the captain who was said to have been killed in the Black Sea during a Ukrainian missile attack
Russian Telegram accounts with links to the Wagner Group claim Bayraktar drones were used to distract the Moskva's radar systems before a coastal battery opened fire somewhere near Odesa, hitting the ship with two Neptune missiles
The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet - the Soviet-era guided missile destroyer Moskva - has suffered heavy damage and may have sunk after Ukraine claimed to have shot it with two anti-ship cruise missiles
Natalia Gumeniuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's southern military forces, said: 'We saw that other ships tried to assist it, but even the forces of nature were on Ukraine's side because the storm made both the rescue operation and crew evacuations impossible.
The Russian defence ministry denied those claims and insisted the crew had been successfully evacuated and returned to their base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Last night, a 38-second video emerged on social media that claimed to show the crew being greeted by Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, commander of the Russian Navy, in a military parade in Crimea.
The veracity of the footage could not be verified and several dozen people were pictured on Friday holding a vigil in a town square in Sevastopol. A wreath left by a Russian navy monument bore the message: 'To the Moskva and its crew.'
There were reports of an eight hour battle to save the ship from sinking. Yet the footage left many questions unanswered.
There were around 150 men visible in sunshine on the Sevastopol parade ground in the Defence Ministry footage, whereas the crew of the stricken warship had numbered more than 500.
Around 120 sailors and officers can be seen in the soundless footage standing at attention in dress uniform
Russia claims Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, met with surviving members of the Moskva's crew in Sevastopol
April 7: The Moskva is pictured in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, which is the home port of Russia's Black Sea fleet. The Soviet-era ship leads the fleet, and is equipped with anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine missiles
Ukraine 'hit Russian flagship': Archive footage of Moskva in action
April 10: The Moskva (pictured last week near the port of Sevastopol) has been helping coordinate Russian naval operation in the Black Sea, which has seen ships set up a distant blockade of Ukrainian ports and open fire on cities with cruise missiles
It was not made clear why so many were missing.
The men were lined up in a way to give the impression of a large number present on the parade ground, but hundreds were missing.
There were no references to any fatalities - yet at a vigil yesterday in the city, there were prayers for the lost sailors.
Nor were there references to any wounded from a fire and giant explosion which sank the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The soviet-era 600-foot missile cruiser: Moskva
The Moskva is a 12,500 tonne Project 1164 Slava class guided missile cruiser that was first launched in 1979.
She replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Although it is not a new ship, the impressive cruiser was named after Moscow and is armed with 16 fixed launchers for P-1000 anti-ship missiles and rail launchers for 40 Osa missiles.
The missile cruiser usually has a crew of over 500 and contains intricate vertical tubes for 64 S-300 air-defence missiles and an array of guns, making her fire power one of a kind.
Despite Moskva's impressive features, the ship was sunk when ammunition on board blew up, TASS news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying on Thursday.
A Ukrainian official earlier said the Moskva had been hit by two anti-ship missiles but did not give any evidence.
Russian news agencies said the Moskva was armed with 16 anti-ship 'Vulkan' cruise missiles with a range of at least 440 miles. Interfax did not give more details of the incident.
In April 2021, the agency quoted a retired Russian admiral as saying 'this is the most serious ship in the Black Sea'.
The admiral was shown on TV saying: 'The crew of Moskva cruiser is at the main base, hero city of Sevastopol.'
'Officers, midshipmen, contract personnel will continue service in the Navy.'
Conscript sailors on the Moskva would be relieved of their duties in the near future, he said.
However this admission flies in the face of an assurance by Vladimir Putin that no conscripts - usually aged 18 or 19 - were involved in the war.
'Compulsory [military] service personnel, in line with the law, will be released from May to July, and will leave to be put on military register,' said the admiral.
A TASS report of the meeting failed to mention that the Moskva had been sunk.
Ukrainian spokesman Anton Gerashchenko asked where the missing men were.
The video comes as satellite images showed the pride of Putin's Black Sea Fleet burning while other vessels are scrambled to rescue those onboard before it sank after it was struck by Ukrainian missiles in an attack which Kyiv claimed killed all 510 crew on-board including its captain.
Radar satellite imagery of the northern Black Sea on April 13 appears to pinpoint the Soviet-era Moskva warship. Other vessels are also seen in attendance, with reports suggesting they are rescue vessels.
found the Moskva in satellite imagery that employed synthetic aperture radar (SAR), technology that can 'see' through clouds. The satellite which took the image passed over the area at around 6.30pm local time on Wednesday, the publication said.
It pinpointed the coordinates of a ship matching the Russian vessel and its dire situation to 45°10’43.39″N, 30°55’30.54″E - a position east of Snake Island in the Black Sea, 80 nautical miles from Odesa and 50 nautical miles away from the closest stretch of Ukrainian coastline.
'Based on analysis by multiple people, we are confident that this shows Moskva’s final hours,' Naval News said in its report. It added that Ukraine's claim that it struck the vessel with two Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles would be possible on account of the Moskva being in-range of such weaponry.
It also said that the position of the huge warship matches its previous location patterns since it was positioned off the coast of Ukraine when Russian President Vladimir Putin first launched his brutal invasion on February 24. Naval News added that the location was 'very close' to where it was spotted in other satellite imagery on April 12.
Analysis of the satellite image also found other vessels in the water around the Moskva, suggesting Russia launched a rescue mission to save the crew of the ship that it said was sunk by a fire on board, which resulted in ammunition exploding. Moscow has made no mention of a Ukrainian attack.
While Russia has not released any information of its casualties, Kyiv has claimed that all crew were killed in the attack on the ship. It has been reported the Kremlin's rescue mission failed due to stormy weather at the time.
The Moskva - pictured leaving port at Sevastopol for the last time on April 10 - may have been carrying two nuclear warheads when it sank after a fire and explosion on board, experts and analysts have warned
As one of the largest ships lost in combat since the Second World War, the Moskva's sinking is a huge blow to Russian prestige
The loss of the Moskva marks the single-largest casualty inflicted by Ukraine on the Russian military during the war so-far and one of the largest ships lost in combat since the end of the Second World War.
It also marks another humiliating loss for Putin's armed forces, with the Russian leader said to be 'furious' after being given the news.
According to Russian media, Putin was informed overnight about the loss of the ship and was erroneously told that the attack was carried out with British weapons.
Putin was 'furious' in a way 'never seen before', the General SVR Telegram channel said.
The channel claims inside knowledge from a former secret serviceman with links inside the Kremlin.
Neither Ukraine or Russia has given an official account of what happened to the Moskva - though sources speaking to Telegram channel , which has links to the Russian Wager military group, have given a detailed account.
According to those sources, the Moskva was sailing in the Black Sea between the Ukrainian port cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv when it was targeted on Wednesday evening.
Ukraine reportedly used Turkish-made Bayraktar drones to distract the ship's missile defences, allowing two Neptune missiles fired from a coastal battery to sneak through.
They struck the ship on the port side, the sources claimed, causing it to partially roll over. Choppy conditions at sea combined with the roll meant the ship began taking on water.
Due to fears that the ship's ammunition could detonate, the Moskva was evacuated and has now sunk, the sources added.
Ponomarev, writing on his own Telegram account today, gave credence to that account. He wrote: 'The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser Moskva, was launched to the bottom by two Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles.
The sinking of the Moskva: Ukraine's ingenious ruse that blew apart Russia's flagship
By Mark Nicol, Defence Editor for the Daily Mail
The pride of Russia’s fearsome Black Sea fleet was taken out yesterday in one of the most cunning operations of the war.
Ukrainian commanders destroyed the huge Moskva warship by using drones to distract its defence systems, allowing surface-skimming missiles to strike.
The 12,500-ton cruiser’s protective sensors seemingly did not see the Neptune rockets heading its way because they were tracking Turkish TB2 drones.
Two missiles slammed into the port side of the 611ft Moskva, rocking her violently and causing a catastrophic explosion and huge fires. As flames lit up the stormy Black Sea, the ship’s 510 crewmen frantically climbed into lifeboats and fled.
The surprise attack took place at 2am yesterday as the Moskva, Russia’s main ‘command and control’ warship, was around 60 miles south of Odessa.
The ship’s captain and air defence officers were said to be tracking the decoy TB2s, unaware a pair of Ukrainian-made Neptune R360 anti-ship missiles were heading their way after being launched from an artillery battery on the coastline.
The missiles, each weighing a ton and with a range of 186 miles, approached the Moskva at sea level. Travelling at such a low trajectory in rough seas meant they were difficult to track. They hit their mark.
After the attack, the ageing cruiser – which first launched in 1979 – was initially towed towards Crimea. US intelligence said it was still on fire.
It had been expected to be written off as Russian shipyards are unable to operate because of international sanctions. But last night the Russian defence ministry said the Moskva had in fact sunk ‘while being towed in a storm’, the state news agency Tass reported.
In terms of military hardware, the Moskva represents the largest single loss to Russia’s armed forces since the war began.
Yesterday’s highly sophisticated sortie came just hours after the US acknowledged it was providing ‘direct intelligence support’ to enable precision targeting of Russian assets. It was also the culmination of a lengthy intelligence gathering operation which, the Daily Mail has learned, revealed the ship was operating in what sources described as ‘predictable patterns’ in the north-west Black Sea and often without escorts.
It is customary for large cruisers, in particular flagships, to be accompanied by frigates which provide a protective screen.
But perhaps because they assumed they could operate with impunity, Russian commanders neglected to guard the Moskva. The incident is expected to make Russian naval commanders more wary when operating near Ukraine’s coastline.
The Royal Navy has trained its Ukrainian counterparts in recent years to improve standards. But UK officials played down suggestions Britain could be credited for the operation. Ukraine designed and produced the Neptune missiles used in the attack. Ironically, they are based on a Russian design.
Last night, warship expert Jonathan Bentham, from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: ‘Working on the assumption the Moskva was hit by anti-ship missiles, this raises questions about the operational capabilities of the Slava-class cruisers and the state of the wider Russian navy. In theory, the ship’s anti-air defence capabilities should provide enough cover to avoid being hit by a subsonic missile like Neptune.
‘If the third-largest surface vessel in the fleet – behind the Admiral Kuznetsov and the Pyotr Velikiy – is lacking these capabilities, what else is it lacking?”
need you expert eye
Russia releases video claiming to show survivors of Moskva warship destroyed by Ukrainian attack
It was unclear when the meeting took place and a TASS report did not say.
One of the officers present resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking evidently caused by a Neptune missile strike.
In the soundless footage, around 120 sailors and officers can be seen standing at attention in dress uniform during the parade.
It took the Kremlin a day to acknowledge that the guided missile cruiser had been lost, although it claimed the vessel went down as it was being towed to port after a fire broke out on board.
Ukraine claimed the entire 510 crew of 12,500-ton vessel, including Anton Kuprin, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, had died. If true, it would represent the Russian navy's greatest loss of life at sea since World War II.
Russian naval chief meets 'survivors of Moskva warship'
After a virtual Moscow news blackout leading to speculation that hundreds had perished, footage showed the naval chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, 60, addressing naval officers and seamen in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol
The Moskva is a 12,500 tonne Project 1164 Slava class guided missile cruiser that was first launched in 1979. She replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
One of the officers present resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking evidently caused by a Neptune missile strike
Russian Telegram accounts with links to the Wagner Group claim Bayraktar drones were used to distract the Moskva's radar systems before a coastal battery opened fire somewhere near Odesa, hitting the ship with two Neptune missiles
The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet - the Soviet-era guided missile destroyer Moskva - has suffered heavy damage and may have sunk after Ukraine claimed to have shot it with two anti-ship cruise missiles
Natalia Gumeniuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's southern military forces, said: 'We saw that other ships tried to assist it, but even the forces of nature were on Ukraine's side because the storm made both the rescue operation and crew evacuations impossible.
The Russian defence ministry denied those claims and insisted the crew had been successfully evacuated and returned to their base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Last night, a 38-second video emerged on social media that claimed to show the crew being greeted by Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, commander of the Russian Navy, in a military parade in Crimea.
The veracity of the footage could not be verified and several dozen people were pictured on Friday holding a vigil in a town square in Sevastopol. A wreath left by a Russian navy monument bore the message: 'To the Moskva and its crew.'
There were reports of an eight hour battle to save the ship from sinking. Yet the footage left many questions unanswered.
There were around 150 men visible in sunshine on the Sevastopol parade ground in the Defence Ministry footage, whereas the crew of the stricken warship had numbered more than 500.
Around 120 sailors and officers can be seen in the soundless footage standing at attention in dress uniform
Russia claims Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, met with surviving members of the Moskva's crew in Sevastopol
April 7: The Moskva is pictured in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, which is the home port of Russia's Black Sea fleet. The Soviet-era ship leads the fleet, and is equipped with anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine missiles
Ukraine 'hit Russian flagship': Archive footage of Moskva in action
It was not made clear why so many were missing.
The men were lined up in a way to give the impression of a large number present on the parade ground, but hundreds were missing.
There were no references to any fatalities - yet at a vigil yesterday in the city, there were prayers for the lost sailors.
Nor were there references to any wounded from a fire and giant explosion which sank the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The soviet-era 600-foot missile cruiser: Moskva
The Moskva is a 12,500 tonne Project 1164 Slava class guided missile cruiser that was first launched in 1979.
She replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Although it is not a new ship, the impressive cruiser was named after Moscow and is armed with 16 fixed launchers for P-1000 anti-ship missiles and rail launchers for 40 Osa missiles.
The missile cruiser usually has a crew of over 500 and contains intricate vertical tubes for 64 S-300 air-defence missiles and an array of guns, making her fire power one of a kind.
Despite Moskva's impressive features, the ship was sunk when ammunition on board blew up, TASS news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying on Thursday.
A Ukrainian official earlier said the Moskva had been hit by two anti-ship missiles but did not give any evidence.
Russian news agencies said the Moskva was armed with 16 anti-ship 'Vulkan' cruise missiles with a range of at least 440 miles. Interfax did not give more details of the incident.
In April 2021, the agency quoted a retired Russian admiral as saying 'this is the most serious ship in the Black Sea'.
The admiral was shown on TV saying: 'The crew of Moskva cruiser is at the main base, hero city of Sevastopol.'
'Officers, midshipmen, contract personnel will continue service in the Navy.'
Conscript sailors on the Moskva would be relieved of their duties in the near future, he said.
However this admission flies in the face of an assurance by Vladimir Putin that no conscripts - usually aged 18 or 19 - were involved in the war.
'Compulsory [military] service personnel, in line with the law, will be released from May to July, and will leave to be put on military register,' said the admiral.
A TASS report of the meeting failed to mention that the Moskva had been sunk.
Ukrainian spokesman Anton Gerashchenko asked where the missing men were.
The video comes as satellite images showed the pride of Putin's Black Sea Fleet burning while other vessels are scrambled to rescue those onboard before it sank after it was struck by Ukrainian missiles in an attack which Kyiv claimed killed all 510 crew on-board including its captain.
Radar satellite imagery of the northern Black Sea on April 13 appears to pinpoint the Soviet-era Moskva warship. Other vessels are also seen in attendance, with reports suggesting they are rescue vessels.
found the Moskva in satellite imagery that employed synthetic aperture radar (SAR), technology that can 'see' through clouds. The satellite which took the image passed over the area at around 6.30pm local time on Wednesday, the publication said.
It pinpointed the coordinates of a ship matching the Russian vessel and its dire situation to 45°10’43.39″N, 30°55’30.54″E - a position east of Snake Island in the Black Sea, 80 nautical miles from Odesa and 50 nautical miles away from the closest stretch of Ukrainian coastline.
'Based on analysis by multiple people, we are confident that this shows Moskva’s final hours,' Naval News said in its report. It added that Ukraine's claim that it struck the vessel with two Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles would be possible on account of the Moskva being in-range of such weaponry.
It also said that the position of the huge warship matches its previous location patterns since it was positioned off the coast of Ukraine when Russian President Vladimir Putin first launched his brutal invasion on February 24. Naval News added that the location was 'very close' to where it was spotted in other satellite imagery on April 12.
Analysis of the satellite image also found other vessels in the water around the Moskva, suggesting Russia launched a rescue mission to save the crew of the ship that it said was sunk by a fire on board, which resulted in ammunition exploding. Moscow has made no mention of a Ukrainian attack.
While Russia has not released any information of its casualties, Kyiv has claimed that all crew were killed in the attack on the ship. It has been reported the Kremlin's rescue mission failed due to stormy weather at the time.
The Moskva - pictured leaving port at Sevastopol for the last time on April 10 - may have been carrying two nuclear warheads when it sank after a fire and explosion on board, experts and analysts have warned
As one of the largest ships lost in combat since the Second World War, the Moskva's sinking is a huge blow to Russian prestige
The loss of the Moskva marks the single-largest casualty inflicted by Ukraine on the Russian military during the war so-far and one of the largest ships lost in combat since the end of the Second World War.
It also marks another humiliating loss for Putin's armed forces, with the Russian leader said to be 'furious' after being given the news.
According to Russian media, Putin was informed overnight about the loss of the ship and was erroneously told that the attack was carried out with British weapons.
Putin was 'furious' in a way 'never seen before', the General SVR Telegram channel said.
The channel claims inside knowledge from a former secret serviceman with links inside the Kremlin.
Neither Ukraine or Russia has given an official account of what happened to the Moskva - though sources speaking to Telegram channel , which has links to the Russian Wager military group, have given a detailed account.
According to those sources, the Moskva was sailing in the Black Sea between the Ukrainian port cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv when it was targeted on Wednesday evening.
Ukraine reportedly used Turkish-made Bayraktar drones to distract the ship's missile defences, allowing two Neptune missiles fired from a coastal battery to sneak through.
They struck the ship on the port side, the sources claimed, causing it to partially roll over. Choppy conditions at sea combined with the roll meant the ship began taking on water.
Due to fears that the ship's ammunition could detonate, the Moskva was evacuated and has now sunk, the sources added.
Ponomarev, writing on his own Telegram account today, gave credence to that account. He wrote: 'The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser Moskva, was launched to the bottom by two Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles.
The sinking of the Moskva: Ukraine's ingenious ruse that blew apart Russia's flagship
By Mark Nicol, Defence Editor for the Daily Mail
The pride of Russia’s fearsome Black Sea fleet was taken out yesterday in one of the most cunning operations of the war.
Ukrainian commanders destroyed the huge Moskva warship by using drones to distract its defence systems, allowing surface-skimming missiles to strike.
The 12,500-ton cruiser’s protective sensors seemingly did not see the Neptune rockets heading its way because they were tracking Turkish TB2 drones.
Two missiles slammed into the port side of the 611ft Moskva, rocking her violently and causing a catastrophic explosion and huge fires. As flames lit up the stormy Black Sea, the ship’s 510 crewmen frantically climbed into lifeboats and fled.
The surprise attack took place at 2am yesterday as the Moskva, Russia’s main ‘command and control’ warship, was around 60 miles south of Odessa.
The ship’s captain and air defence officers were said to be tracking the decoy TB2s, unaware a pair of Ukrainian-made Neptune R360 anti-ship missiles were heading their way after being launched from an artillery battery on the coastline.
The missiles, each weighing a ton and with a range of 186 miles, approached the Moskva at sea level. Travelling at such a low trajectory in rough seas meant they were difficult to track. They hit their mark.
After the attack, the ageing cruiser – which first launched in 1979 – was initially towed towards Crimea. US intelligence said it was still on fire.
It had been expected to be written off as Russian shipyards are unable to operate because of international sanctions. But last night the Russian defence ministry said the Moskva had in fact sunk ‘while being towed in a storm’, the state news agency Tass reported.
In terms of military hardware, the Moskva represents the largest single loss to Russia’s armed forces since the war began.
Yesterday’s highly sophisticated sortie came just hours after the US acknowledged it was providing ‘direct intelligence support’ to enable precision targeting of Russian assets. It was also the culmination of a lengthy intelligence gathering operation which, the Daily Mail has learned, revealed the ship was operating in what sources described as ‘predictable patterns’ in the north-west Black Sea and often without escorts.
It is customary for large cruisers, in particular flagships, to be accompanied by frigates which provide a protective screen.
But perhaps because they assumed they could operate with impunity, Russian commanders neglected to guard the Moskva. The incident is expected to make Russian naval commanders more wary when operating near Ukraine’s coastline.
The Royal Navy has trained its Ukrainian counterparts in recent years to improve standards. But UK officials played down suggestions Britain could be credited for the operation. Ukraine designed and produced the Neptune missiles used in the attack. Ironically, they are based on a Russian design.
Last night, warship expert Jonathan Bentham, from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: ‘Working on the assumption the Moskva was hit by anti-ship missiles, this raises questions about the operational capabilities of the Slava-class cruisers and the state of the wider Russian navy. In theory, the ship’s anti-air defence capabilities should provide enough cover to avoid being hit by a subsonic missile like Neptune.
‘If the third-largest surface vessel in the fleet – behind the Admiral Kuznetsov and the Pyotr Velikiy – is lacking these capabilities, what else is it lacking?”
@zod16 man wtf…. What do u make of this
need you expert eye
Russia releases video claiming to show survivors of Moskva warship destroyed by Ukrainian attack
It was unclear when the meeting took place and a TASS report did not say.
One of the officers present resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking evidently caused by a Neptune missile strike.
In the soundless footage, around 120 sailors and officers can be seen standing at attention in dress uniform during the parade.
It took the Kremlin a day to acknowledge that the guided missile cruiser had been lost, although it claimed the vessel went down as it was being towed to port after a fire broke out on board.
Ukraine claimed the entire 510 crew of 12,500-ton vessel, including Anton Kuprin, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, had died. If true, it would represent the Russian navy's greatest loss of life at sea since World War II.
Russian naval chief meets 'survivors of Moskva warship'
After a virtual Moscow news blackout leading to speculation that hundreds had perished, footage showed the naval chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, 60, addressing naval officers and seamen in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol
The Moskva is a 12,500 tonne Project 1164 Slava class guided missile cruiser that was first launched in 1979. She replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
One of the officers present resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking evidently caused by a Neptune missile strike
Russia has released a video that claims to show the survivors of the doomed sunken Moskva warship, including the captain who was said to have been killed in the Black Sea during a Ukrainian missile attack
Russian Telegram accounts with links to the Wagner Group claim Bayraktar drones were used to distract the Moskva's radar systems before a coastal battery opened fire somewhere near Odesa, hitting the ship with two Neptune missiles
The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet - the Soviet-era guided missile destroyer Moskva - has suffered heavy damage and may have sunk after Ukraine claimed to have shot it with two anti-ship cruise missiles
Natalia Gumeniuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's southern military forces, said: 'We saw that other ships tried to assist it, but even the forces of nature were on Ukraine's side because the storm made both the rescue operation and crew evacuations impossible.
The Russian defence ministry denied those claims and insisted the crew had been successfully evacuated and returned to their base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Last night, a 38-second video emerged on social media that claimed to show the crew being greeted by Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, commander of the Russian Navy, in a military parade in Crimea.
The veracity of the footage could not be verified and several dozen people were pictured on Friday holding a vigil in a town square in Sevastopol. A wreath left by a Russian navy monument bore the message: 'To the Moskva and its crew.'
There were reports of an eight hour battle to save the ship from sinking. Yet the footage left many questions unanswered.
There were around 150 men visible in sunshine on the Sevastopol parade ground in the Defence Ministry footage, whereas the crew of the stricken warship had numbered more than 500.
Around 120 sailors and officers can be seen in the soundless footage standing at attention in dress uniform
Russia claims Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, met with surviving members of the Moskva's crew in Sevastopol
April 7: The Moskva is pictured in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, which is the home port of Russia's Black Sea fleet. The Soviet-era ship leads the fleet, and is equipped with anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine missiles
Ukraine 'hit Russian flagship': Archive footage of Moskva in action
April 10: The Moskva (pictured last week near the port of Sevastopol) has been helping coordinate Russian naval operation in the Black Sea, which has seen ships set up a distant blockade of Ukrainian ports and open fire on cities with cruise missiles
It was not made clear why so many were missing.
The men were lined up in a way to give the impression of a large number present on the parade ground, but hundreds were missing.
There were no references to any fatalities - yet at a vigil yesterday in the city, there were prayers for the lost sailors.
Nor were there references to any wounded from a fire and giant explosion which sank the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The soviet-era 600-foot missile cruiser: Moskva
The Moskva is a 12,500 tonne Project 1164 Slava class guided missile cruiser that was first launched in 1979.
She replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Although it is not a new ship, the impressive cruiser was named after Moscow and is armed with 16 fixed launchers for P-1000 anti-ship missiles and rail launchers for 40 Osa missiles.
The missile cruiser usually has a crew of over 500 and contains intricate vertical tubes for 64 S-300 air-defence missiles and an array of guns, making her fire power one of a kind.
Despite Moskva's impressive features, the ship was sunk when ammunition on board blew up, TASS news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying on Thursday.
A Ukrainian official earlier said the Moskva had been hit by two anti-ship missiles but did not give any evidence.
Russian news agencies said the Moskva was armed with 16 anti-ship 'Vulkan' cruise missiles with a range of at least 440 miles. Interfax did not give more details of the incident.
In April 2021, the agency quoted a retired Russian admiral as saying 'this is the most serious ship in the Black Sea'.
The admiral was shown on TV saying: 'The crew of Moskva cruiser is at the main base, hero city of Sevastopol.'
'Officers, midshipmen, contract personnel will continue service in the Navy.'
Conscript sailors on the Moskva would be relieved of their duties in the near future, he said.
However this admission flies in the face of an assurance by Vladimir Putin that no conscripts - usually aged 18 or 19 - were involved in the war.
'Compulsory [military] service personnel, in line with the law, will be released from May to July, and will leave to be put on military register,' said the admiral.
A TASS report of the meeting failed to mention that the Moskva had been sunk.
Ukrainian spokesman Anton Gerashchenko asked where the missing men were.
The video comes as satellite images showed the pride of Putin's Black Sea Fleet burning while other vessels are scrambled to rescue those onboard before it sank after it was struck by Ukrainian missiles in an attack which Kyiv claimed killed all 510 crew on-board including its captain.
Radar satellite imagery of the northern Black Sea on April 13 appears to pinpoint the Soviet-era Moskva warship. Other vessels are also seen in attendance, with reports suggesting they are rescue vessels.
found the Moskva in satellite imagery that employed synthetic aperture radar (SAR), technology that can 'see' through clouds. The satellite which took the image passed over the area at around 6.30pm local time on Wednesday, the publication said.
It pinpointed the coordinates of a ship matching the Russian vessel and its dire situation to 45°10’43.39″N, 30°55’30.54″E - a position east of Snake Island in the Black Sea, 80 nautical miles from Odesa and 50 nautical miles away from the closest stretch of Ukrainian coastline.
'Based on analysis by multiple people, we are confident that this shows Moskva’s final hours,' Naval News said in its report. It added that Ukraine's claim that it struck the vessel with two Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles would be possible on account of the Moskva being in-range of such weaponry.
It also said that the position of the huge warship matches its previous location patterns since it was positioned off the coast of Ukraine when Russian President Vladimir Putin first launched his brutal invasion on February 24. Naval News added that the location was 'very close' to where it was spotted in other satellite imagery on April 12.
Analysis of the satellite image also found other vessels in the water around the Moskva, suggesting Russia launched a rescue mission to save the crew of the ship that it said was sunk by a fire on board, which resulted in ammunition exploding. Moscow has made no mention of a Ukrainian attack.
While Russia has not released any information of its casualties, Kyiv has claimed that all crew were killed in the attack on the ship. It has been reported the Kremlin's rescue mission failed due to stormy weather at the time.
The Moskva - pictured leaving port at Sevastopol for the last time on April 10 - may have been carrying two nuclear warheads when it sank after a fire and explosion on board, experts and analysts have warned
As one of the largest ships lost in combat since the Second World War, the Moskva's sinking is a huge blow to Russian prestige
The loss of the Moskva marks the single-largest casualty inflicted by Ukraine on the Russian military during the war so-far and one of the largest ships lost in combat since the end of the Second World War.
It also marks another humiliating loss for Putin's armed forces, with the Russian leader said to be 'furious' after being given the news.
According to Russian media, Putin was informed overnight about the loss of the ship and was erroneously told that the attack was carried out with British weapons.
Putin was 'furious' in a way 'never seen before', the General SVR Telegram channel said.
The channel claims inside knowledge from a former secret serviceman with links inside the Kremlin.
Neither Ukraine or Russia has given an official account of what happened to the Moskva - though sources speaking to Telegram channel , which has links to the Russian Wager military group, have given a detailed account.
According to those sources, the Moskva was sailing in the Black Sea between the Ukrainian port cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv when it was targeted on Wednesday evening.
Ukraine reportedly used Turkish-made Bayraktar drones to distract the ship's missile defences, allowing two Neptune missiles fired from a coastal battery to sneak through.
They struck the ship on the port side, the sources claimed, causing it to partially roll over. Choppy conditions at sea combined with the roll meant the ship began taking on water.
Due to fears that the ship's ammunition could detonate, the Moskva was evacuated and has now sunk, the sources added.
Ponomarev, writing on his own Telegram account today, gave credence to that account. He wrote: 'The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser Moskva, was launched to the bottom by two Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles.
The sinking of the Moskva: Ukraine's ingenious ruse that blew apart Russia's flagship
By Mark Nicol, Defence Editor for the Daily Mail
The pride of Russia’s fearsome Black Sea fleet was taken out yesterday in one of the most cunning operations of the war.
Ukrainian commanders destroyed the huge Moskva warship by using drones to distract its defence systems, allowing surface-skimming missiles to strike.
The 12,500-ton cruiser’s protective sensors seemingly did not see the Neptune rockets heading its way because they were tracking Turkish TB2 drones.
Two missiles slammed into the port side of the 611ft Moskva, rocking her violently and causing a catastrophic explosion and huge fires. As flames lit up the stormy Black Sea, the ship’s 510 crewmen frantically climbed into lifeboats and fled.
The surprise attack took place at 2am yesterday as the Moskva, Russia’s main ‘command and control’ warship, was around 60 miles south of Odessa.
The ship’s captain and air defence officers were said to be tracking the decoy TB2s, unaware a pair of Ukrainian-made Neptune R360 anti-ship missiles were heading their way after being launched from an artillery battery on the coastline.
The missiles, each weighing a ton and with a range of 186 miles, approached the Moskva at sea level. Travelling at such a low trajectory in rough seas meant they were difficult to track. They hit their mark.
After the attack, the ageing cruiser – which first launched in 1979 – was initially towed towards Crimea. US intelligence said it was still on fire.
It had been expected to be written off as Russian shipyards are unable to operate because of international sanctions. But last night the Russian defence ministry said the Moskva had in fact sunk ‘while being towed in a storm’, the state news agency Tass reported.
In terms of military hardware, the Moskva represents the largest single loss to Russia’s armed forces since the war began.
Yesterday’s highly sophisticated sortie came just hours after the US acknowledged it was providing ‘direct intelligence support’ to enable precision targeting of Russian assets. It was also the culmination of a lengthy intelligence gathering operation which, the Daily Mail has learned, revealed the ship was operating in what sources described as ‘predictable patterns’ in the north-west Black Sea and often without escorts.
It is customary for large cruisers, in particular flagships, to be accompanied by frigates which provide a protective screen.
But perhaps because they assumed they could operate with impunity, Russian commanders neglected to guard the Moskva. The incident is expected to make Russian naval commanders more wary when operating near Ukraine’s coastline.
The Royal Navy has trained its Ukrainian counterparts in recent years to improve standards. But UK officials played down suggestions Britain could be credited for the operation. Ukraine designed and produced the Neptune missiles used in the attack. Ironically, they are based on a Russian design.
Last night, warship expert Jonathan Bentham, from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: ‘Working on the assumption the Moskva was hit by anti-ship missiles, this raises questions about the operational capabilities of the Slava-class cruisers and the state of the wider Russian navy. In theory, the ship’s anti-air defence capabilities should provide enough cover to avoid being hit by a subsonic missile like Neptune.
‘If the third-largest surface vessel in the fleet – behind the Admiral Kuznetsov and the Pyotr Velikiy – is lacking these capabilities, what else is it lacking?”
We have gone from:
the ship is fine
the ship is slightly damaged from an accident
the ship is burning
the ship is gone but it wasn't the Ukrainians.
I find it hard to believe there are no survivors so maybe 120 out of 500 like they claim is right. Who knows.
We have gone from:
the ship is fine
the ship is slightly damaged from an accident
the ship is burning
the ship is gone but it wasn't the Ukrainians.
I find it hard to believe there are no survivors so maybe 120 out of 500 like they claim is right. Who knows.
for real, thanks for the reply Who said it wasn’t the Ukrainians?
Who said it wasn’t the Ukrainians?
The Russian navy's Black Sea flagship has been "seriously damaged" by an ammunition explosion, Russian state media said Thursday.
Russian warship 'seriously damaged' in ammunition explosion: state media
The Russian navy's Black Sea flagship has been "seriously damaged" by an ammunition explosion, Russian state media said Thursday.
www.france24.com
I understand they arent' going to admit what really happened but it is still hilarious.
Ok yea I remember that…The Russian navy's Black Sea flagship has been "seriously damaged" by an ammunition explosion, Russian state media said Thursday.
Russian warship 'seriously damaged' in ammunition explosion: state media
The Russian navy's Black Sea flagship has been "seriously damaged" by an ammunition explosion, Russian state media said Thursday.
I understand they arent' going to admit what really happened but it is still hilarious.
mannn what from what I’ve seen(along with what you posted)
It was just perfect timing to get that ship
No escorts ships( guard the perimeter)
bad weather(visibility reduced)
Paying attention to drones allow the missiles to sneak in