Ukraine sinks Russian Navy's flagship

Ukraine sinks Russian Navy's flagship
The Russian Black Sea Fleet's flagship, the Moskva, sinking on its way back to port after a Ukrainian missile strike. (screengrab/@FPWellman/Twitter).
World

The Russian Black Sea Fleet's flagship, the Moskva (Moscow), sank on Thursday hours after Ukrainian resistance fighters bombarded it with multiple anti-ship missiles.

"Ukrainian military officials said they struck the Moskva with Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles - a weapon designed after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the naval threat to Ukraine in the Black Sea grew," according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The Ukrainian government also published a tweet in celebration of its victory.

"Russian warship, what are you sinking?" it wrote.

The 11,500-ton, 510-crewed Moskva incurred significant damage when stored ammunition exploded during the attack. It then fell onto its starboard side and flooded. While the Moskva was being escorted back to port, it took on additional water during a storm and now lies at the bottom of the Black Sea.

"While being towed ... towards the destined port, the vessel lost its balance due to damage sustained in the hull as fire broke out after ammunition exploded. Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank," Russian state news agency TASS said in a statement.

Moscow also claimed that the crew had successfully abandoned ship.

This is a massive blow to Vladimir Putin's campaign in Ukraine and to his military's dominance of the Black Sea. It is also the most significant naval defeat in Europe since World War II.

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2023 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.