Russia has released footage of the crew of their sunken flagship Moskva – that appears to include the captain reportedly killed when it went down.
The Russian defence ministry confirmed the warship had sunk on Thursday, but claimed it was due to a fire caused by exploding ammunition. Ukraine says it sank the ship after hitting it with two missiles but that has not been confirmed.
Any casulties from the sunken vessel, which had 500 crew, have not been revealed by Russia but Ukraine has claimed that First Rank Captain Anton Kupri was killed during the blast.
Three days after the incident Russia has released a video showing Admiral Nicolai Yevmenov addressing around 100 officers and sailors, standing to attention in dress uniform.
It is not clear when the silent footage was filmed, but one of the officers resembles Captain Kupri.
The Russian defence ministry announced that the Moskva had sunk on Thursday in stormy seas after a fire caused by exploding ammunition
(via REUTERS)
In an interview shown at the end of the video, Adm Yevmenov says the officers and crew are currently residing at their base in Sevastopol and will continue their service in the navy.
Moskva was the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, and reports of its sinking were described as a huge blow to Russian morale.
The Russian defence ministry said in a statement the crew was completely evacuated after the incident.
The Moskva, commissioned in 1982, was armed with 16 anti-ship “Vulkan” cruise missiles with a range of at least 700 km.
The Russian Black Sea flagship the Moskva sunk on Thursday though no casualties were reported by Moscow
(EPA)
It was originally called “Glory” and is one of three Slava-class guided-missile cruisers. Its home port is Sevastopol on the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula.
In April 2021, the Interfax news agency quoted a retired Russian admiral as saying the 12,500-tonne vessel, which usually has a crew of around 500, was “the most serious ship in the Black Sea”.
The warship is said to be carrying 64 S-300F Rif air defence missiles, making it an important component of Russia’s air defence over southern Ukraine.
Last month Ukraine said it had destroyed a large Russian landing support ship, the Orsk, on the smaller Sea of Azov to the northeast of the Black Sea.
But Russia still has a large fleet of cruisers, frigates, missile corvettes and amphibious landing ships operating off southern Ukraine.
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