Ukrainian and Western media circulated a video claiming it captures the moment the flagship of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, Moskva, was targeted. Ukrainian forces announced that they struck and inflicted severe damage on the Russian fleet's main ship in the Black Sea, while Russia stated that its crew was forced to evacuate due to a fire without acknowledging an attack.
Maxim Marchenko, the governor of the Odessa region, stated that Ukraine hit the guided missile cruiser "Moskva" with two missiles, causing "significant damage." The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the ship was damaged but did not mention any Ukrainian attack. It reported that the ammunition onboard exploded due to a fire whose cause is still unknown and added that the entire crew was evacuated.
If the sinking of the cruiser is confirmed, it would deal a significant blow to Russia, following the damage caused to the tank landing ship Orsk and the fire onboard during an attack in Berdyansk in the Sea of Azov at the end of last month.
Pro-Ukrainian pages on Twitter and YouTube shared a video of the attack on the cruiser "Moskva," although the video's source has not been immediately verified by an independent source. The video, recorded with night vision technology, shows thick smoke rising from the cruiser in the sea.
According to a retired Russian admiral's statement in April 2021, the "Moskva" is considered "the most dangerous ship in the Black Sea." Kyiv claims that Moskva participated in one of the early confrontations of the war when Ukrainian border guards on Snake Island in the Black Sea refused an order from the ship to surrender.
