Satellite images show 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 has claimed killed all 500 crew including its captain.
Radar satellite imagery of the northern Black Sea on April 13 appears to pinpoint the Soviet-era Moskva warship, which Ukraine said was struck by two Neptune cruise missiles fired by one of its batteries near the port city of Odesa. Other vessels are also seen in attendance.
As one of the largest ships lost in combat since the Second World War, the Moskva's sinking is a huge blow to Russian military prestige.
However, Ukrainian defence experts warned that the Moskva may have been carrying two nuclear warheads designed to be fitted to its P-1000 'carrier killer' missiles when it went down. Any such arsenal onboard would likely have been tactical nuclear weapons with a very short range and limited fallout field, experts said.
The attack happened when Ukrainian TB2 drones distracted her defensive capabilities, which then failed to track a pair of Neptune missiles fired from a coastal artillery battery. Ukraine claimed yesterday the warship 'went down in a matter of minutes' with all hands – around 500 sailors – including First Captain Anton Kuprin.
Russian news agencies cited Moscow's Defence Ministry on Thursday as admitting that the vessel sank in stormy seas after what it said was a fire and explosions involving ammunition stowed onboard.
The Kremlin had earlier tried to downplay the damage, and claimed that the Moskva was still afloat and was returning to port under its own steam. Moscow also announced that the crew had been evacuated onto other Black Sea Fleet vessels.
Hours after Ukraine sank the Moskva, Putin took out his anger on losing the warship by ordering a missile strike on Kyiv.
Radar satellite imagery of the Black Sea on April 13 appears to pinpoint the Moskva warship, which Ukraine said was struck by two Neptune cruise missiles fired by one of its batteries near the port city of Odesa. Other vessels are seen in attendance
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
Moskva could have been carrying warheads to fit into the tip of its Moskva's P-1000 supersonic cruise missiles, which are designed to take out American aircraft carriers
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
The relatives of the doomed crew of the Moskva held an unofficial memorial. Pictured: A man lays flowers at an unofficial memorial for the sailors of the Russian Black Sea flagship in Sevastopol on April 15, 2022
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
Russian Kalibr long-range missiles streaked through the night sky towards the capital for the first time in two weeks. Rockets slammed into the factory which produced the two missiles that destroyed the warship, although the official Russian line is that the Moskva was damaged when a fire caused ammunition aboard to explode.
After the factory strike, Russia's defence ministry warned: 'The number and scale of missile strikes against targets in Kyiv will increase in response to any terrorist attacks or sabotage.'
Life in the Ukrainian capital had begun to return to some sort of normality since Russian forces withdrew two weeks ago. But further attacks will likely add to the death toll around Kyiv.
The region's police chief said yesterday the bodies of 900 civilians had been found in outlying suburbs and towns after the Russia withdrawal.
The Kremlin has so far insisted its invasion is a 'special military operation' rather than a war. But in an escalatory statement yesterday, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'If Ukraine continues its provocations, Russia will be force to declare war against Ukraine.'
In another response to the sinking of the Moskva, there were reports yesterday that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, had been detained by Moscow.
Captain Kuprin, 44, led the first naval action of the war, ordering the Moskva to bombard Snake Island. Its 13 Ukrainian defenders refused to give up, saying: 'Russian warship, go f*** yourself.'
Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Kyiv Interior Ministry, claimed that 'the explosion was so strong that the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet sank in a matter of minutes'. He claimed to have heard this from sources in Sevastopol, the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
'Apparently, as a result of the fire, the warheads of the large P-1000 cruise missile - Vulkan - detonated. And there were 16 of them on board the cruiser.'
As a result 'all the crew of the cruiser Moskva died'. This included the ship's captain, Anton Kuprin, Gerashchenko said.
He claimed: 'The leadership of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation have deliberately hidden the truth from relatives and friends of the crew members.'
His account contradicts other earlier versions, including that a Turkish vessel rescued more than 50. If Kyiv's claim is correct, then the deaths of the sailor would add to the already huge death toll suffered by Moscow's forces during Putin's invasion of Ukraine. It is believed over 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict.
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
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
