Dramatic Photos Of Russian Warship ‘Moskva’ Before It Sank Surfaces Online
For days after the warship sunk, new images of the final days of the cruiser started being circulated online. The images could not be verified so far. They, however, serve as a witness to the extent of fire on Russia’s warship, the latter turning out to be a potential threat to Ukraine’s defiance during the early days of the war.
The ongoing war in Ukraine escalated into the third World War, a Russian television channel mentioned on Friday after Russia’s warship sank in the Black Sea owing to a massive blow. Rossiya 1’s presenter Olga Skabeyeva stressed that Russia has been fighting against the NATO infrastructure.
Two of Neptune’s anti-ship cruise missiles hit Moskva. It sank after the incident. However, Russia has refused this claim. It stated that Moskva suffered damage from accidental fire and an ammunition explosion.
The Western and US officials could not suggest what had caused the blaze. Named after Russia’s capital, Moskva’s loss is a massive defeat for Moscow as the troops start regrouping for another, renewed offensive.
After the 529-crew vessel sank, President Zelenskyy mentioned to the Ukrainians that they ought to be proud to have survived 50 days under attack when Russians gave a maximum of five.
The Moskva blocked Ukraine’s naval vessels from departing from Lake Donuzlav. In 2015 and 2016, it had been deployed to the Mediterranean Sea for providing support for Russia’s military campaign backing Bashar Assad, Syria’s President.
In July 1979, the warship was introduced as the Slava from a shipyard based in Mykolaiv in what was back then Ukraine’s Soviet republic, per Janes, an open-source intelligence company. It carried surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, torpedoes, mortars, and deck guns. It also boasted a helicopter deck.
The Slava had to undergo repairs from 1990 to 1999. During that period, the Soviet Union had collapsed. Eventually, an independent Ukraine emerged and Russia’s economy had foundered. Finally, it was rechristened and overhauled as the Moskva. In 2008, Russia’s war in the former republic of Georgia, the Moskva had taken part in big operations in the Black Sea.
In February this year, the cruiser had left Sevastopol for participating in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The vessel was again used against the armed forces of Ukraine during the attack launched on Snake Island with the Russian patrol boat dubbed Vasily Bykov. Moskva had hailed the island’s garrison. It ordered them to surrender. After this, all sorts of contact were lost with the Snake Island, and the 13-member Ukrainian garrison had been captured.
Reference: livemint.com